Celestia Rising
by KingofMercury
Summary: Ch.5- When evil forces once again target Robert for destruction, Amy takes it personally and her anger calls upon the power of Celestia. It is a power the enemy has feared from her all along!
1. Default Chapter

PREVIOUSLY ON SAILOR MOON………

July 23rd, 1999.

The life of Amy Mizuno changed drastically the day Dark Mercury came back in time from the distant future to kill her friends! It was on this day that she learned she would one day become the greatest enemy of Sailor Moon and cause the downfall of Crystal Tokyo. With such a weight on her soul, Amy found it hard to even imagine going on.

Though Dark Mercury was stopped by the combined efforts of the Sailor Scouts; the Starlights; the Nova Senshi; Sailor Galaxia; and various others, it was not before her friends Raye Hino and Hotaru Tomoe perished in the battle. For Amy these deaths will forever haunt her.

In the immediate wake of the battle on that fateful day, Amy made a choice that would forever alter her life… She would cease to be a Sailor Senshi! Surely, Amy reasoned, if she were no longer Sailor Mercury, then the possibility of Dark Mercury ever arising again would never occur.

And so Amy quit as Sailor Mercury and moved away from her friends. Though it hurt her very much to do so, she knew it was for the best. She had to distance herself from Tuxedo Mask, the man she secretly loved, and from Sailor Moon, the best friend she secretly resented! She took up a Scholarship to study Medicine at Munich University, in Germany, and moved away.

But, as Amy will soon find out, escaping from her destiny may perhaps be much harder than she thought…

PROLOGUE: CELESTIAL DESTINY

Amy wasn't certain if she ever saw the place she now stood before. The landscape she stood upon was arid. From the precipice she stood at she could see several settlements beneath her, housed in large glass domes. The Sun was quite large and bright. It seemed to fill the entire sky!

Amy turned and her eyes fell upon the large crystalline Palace, also sequestered under the protection of a gigantic glass dome. At least it looked like glass. It was transparent. Also under the dome was a gigantic garden filled with blue flowers and flowing fountains. It almost resembled the Moon Kingdom, but it was different in so many ways. What was this place doing so close to the Sun?

"Hello Amy," a rich voice seemed to echo all around her.

"Who's there?" Amy turned her head this way and that, but found no one in sight.

"I am someone who has been watching you from afar," said the voice cryptically. "I have watched you proudly all these long years. I have seen you grow into a fine young woman. And I have waited so long to be able to speak with you again."

Amy listened to the words wash over her ears. It sounded like her own voice, but that couldn't be possible. "Where am I?" was her next question.

"The place you are standing is a representation of the memories locked deep inside you."

"But I've never seen this place before," Amy argued.

"So you say, but I remember differently," the voice began to sound wistful. "You were but five years old when I held your hand and gazed upon the cities of Mercury from the top of these cliffs."

"Mercury…" Amy's mind made a connection. "This is a memory… from the Silver Millennium, isn't it?"

"You are standing before the Royal Palace of Planet Mercury," the voice explained. "You were not Amy Mizuno here. You were Princess Ami… My daughter."

"Mother?!" Amy gasped.

Queen Chastity stepped from the haze at the periphery of Amy's vision. Amy's breath caught in her throat at the sight of a woman she couldn't remember ever laying eyes on, but whom she knew right away to be her long lost Mother! The resemblance was almost eerie! She looked just like Amy did now, only her blue hair was much longer, tied into a braided pigtail that hung over her left shoulder and dangled at her breast. And her eyes were much wiser, containing far more years than Amy could possibly imagine. Aside from that, they were like carbon copies of one another!

"I am Queen Chastity of Mercury. I am the fourth ruler in the Mercurian Dynasty. You, Amy, would have become the fifth had events not intruded."

"This is unbelievable! I mean… Everything I ever heard about the Silver Millennium always revolved around the Moon Kingdom and Queen Serenity," said Amy. "I guess… I never gave my own History much thought."

"And that is why we have never talked thus until now," Chastity explained, sitting on a marble bench. "Your heart was not open to me the way Serena's is to Serenity's. Do not feel bad, however. The others know even less than you do… by necessity."

"Am I dreaming?" asked Amy.

Chastity considered the question thoughtfully. "Yes and no… It is difficult to explain. The place we are now talking in is indeed of your mind's own creation, but I am speaking to you from a different Plane. I am speaking from the place where the Spirits walk. Thus I am not some fabrication to be taken lightly… Nor is everything I am about to reveal to you."

Amy sat on the bench next to her Mother. "Yes… Tell me everything. What was it like? What was Mercury like? What are those bubbles for over the cities?"

"Solar protection, my dearest," Chastity chuckled. "Mercury has no natural atmosphere, so we had to invent one over our homes, lest we be incinerated. Still, despite its harshness it was home." Queen Chastity's smile faded quickly. "Unfortunately, I am not here to speak of that either. I would love to tell you everything, but my time here grows short and there is so much I need to say." She reached down toward one of the fountains and poked her finger into the surface of the water, creating a ripple effect.

"You are not safe where you are, my daughter," she continued. She straightened back up and looked at Amy with fierce blue eyes. "Munich, Germany will soon become a focal point for an assault from the Negaverse."

"The Negaverse? But that was where… The Dark Kingdom hailed from." Amy remembered. It was seven years ago. Queen Beryl and her armies tried to steal energy from Humans to awaken Queen Metalia and retake the Planet Earth. She and Sailor Moon and her other friends had fought to stop her. It was so long ago it felt like several lifetimes.

"You remember Beryl. That is good. Her Kingdom was the opposite of ours. While the Moon Kingdom was the beacon of peace and prosperity, her kind knew only darkness and death. It was inevitable our two cultures would clash. But what you don't know about is how exactly it happened. The final confrontation, of course, happened on the Moon itself, but there were many battles before that climactic clash. It so happens that Mercury was a battleground of significant proportion… Where allies of the Dark Kingdom sought to gain a foothold in the early campaign."

"Allies?" Amy repeated.

"It is those allies who threaten Munich now," Queen Chastity gripped Amy's wrist and turned it palm upwards. She dropped a stick-like object approximately five inches long with a blue orb at the top. The symbol of Mercury was emblazoned on the orb. The stick itself was shot with silver and white swirls. It was a Henshin Pen.

"You will need this," Chastity said.

"What is it? This looks like the Mercury Pen," said Amy.

"You must take this responsibility, Amy. Very soon the Dark Syndicate will come out from hiding. They will attempt to awaken a very powerful force from the Underworld. The Dark Syndicate's Queen will try to use her power to take over this System all over again. If they succeed in Munich… No one, not even Sailor Moon… Will be able to stop them!"

"The Dark Syndicate?" Amy saw her Mother begin to fade away. "No, wait!"

"I must go now. I wish I could tell you more, but I have told you the most important things. I do not have the power to sustain my existence in this Plane very much longer." Queen Chastity's visage was transparent and fading away into the encroaching mist. "And you are about to awaken as well. Remember… the Dark Syndicate will come to Munich. Keep your eyes open. And when your life is in danger use your power. Not the power of Mercury… The power of Celestia…"

Chastity vanished, as did the landscape of Mercury. Amy heard a buzzing in the back of her head. "Celestia? What do you mean? Tell me more! Mother!!"

Amy opened her eyes in her Dorm room in Munich. The sunlight was spilling in through the blinds and soaking her blankets with golden light. The buzzing she heard was her Alarm Clock and she reached wearily over to slap it off.

Amy remembered something and opened her right hand. But there was nothing there. No Henshin Pen. So was it a dream after all?

CHAPTER ONE: A MONSTER IN MUNICH

"Amy?"

Amy Mizuno walked through the Central Garden of the University of Munich with her friend Robert Prower. The Sun was shining overhead. It was late Summer and the flowers were blooming in full color. The leaves on the trees were green and fully opened. The temperature was beautiful.

But Amy wasn't thinking about all that. Her mind was elsewhere. Her mind lingered to her dream last night. At least she thought it was a dream. Her Mother had told her it was only half a dream, half real. So what part should she believe?

"Amy?"

Queen Chastity had bestowed on her a Henshin Pen bearing the symbol of Mercury, but when she awoke in her bed this morning it was nowhere to be found.

"Amy!"

And a new enemy? Or rather an old one? The name Dark Syndicate stuck out in her mind. Her Mother had informed her they would emerge as a threat very soon. But who were they? What did they want in Munich? Those answers had not been supplied to her. It was a quandary, no doubt about it.

"Hey, Earth to Amy!"

She blinked and tore her thoughts away from last night long enough to give her friend Robert a surprised look. "Oh, Rob… Did you want something?"

"Yeah sure. I'll take your brain back in this reality for starters," said Robert. "Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to get your attention?"

"I'm sorry. I had this crazy dream last night," Amy shook her head.

"Anything you want to tell me about?" probed Robert.

Amy shook her head. "No… It's not so bad. It's nothing. I just need to take my mind off of it."

Rob nodded in understanding, but his face was slightly less than satisfied. Amy really was sorry for having to keep him in the dark. He was her friend but she couldn't confide in him as fully as her last batch of friends. That was because he wasn't aware of her past. There was so much about herself she couldn't tell him. Telling him she had a dream last night about her Mother, the Queen of Mercury, from a thousand years ago, and that some strange enemy was about to attack Munich would pretty much certify her as clinically insane in any society. When Amy stopped to think about it, the story would sound pretty ludicrous to anyone.

And she really didn't want to alienate Rob like that. He was her only real friend thus far. When she first came to Munich from Tokyo, Amy realized just how hard the transition was. No one in Germany seemingly spoke Japanese. The town was laid out in typical European fashion. Winding, crooked streets surrounded by old brick and mason buildings. Even on a map the layout didn't make much sense. Unlike Tokyo it looked as if the Germans who built Munich back in the Middle Ages pretty much set up wherever it was convenient and built the streets in the spaces between. Her German was less than proficient. The only upside was she could rely on her much better command of English to get by. She spent a fortune on Taxis just to get her from the Airport to the University.

She found Rob, or rather he found her, while she was struggling at the front desk to check into her Dormitory. She was at her wits' end and wanted to cry with frustration. The Desk Clerk didn't even know English very well, and she was apparently from North Germany, which spoke German slightly different from South Germany, much like people from Osaka Japan spoke different lingo than those from Tokyo, or Okinawa. She thought she might actually have to admit defeat and return to Japan.

But Robert found her and he knew Japanese fairly well. Between him and the Desk Clerk he was able to work out the Dorm arrangements and then he graciously helped Amy with her personal belongings in moving into the room. The rest of the day he stuck by her religiously, showing her around the Campus and a little bit of the surrounding city. By days' end, Amy was extremely grateful. From then on he had been the one person she could turn to. She started learning better German from him and learned all about Munich. She didn't know why, but he gave so much of himself for her constantly. And in return she couldn't even tell him half about her own self.

"So, uh… You have Biology next, right?" asked Robert, changing the subject.

"Yes…" Amy hesitated. "I'll be getting out by six o'clock."

"Well that's great!" Robert quipped. "Then I'll meet you for dinner. I kinda need your help studying for Anatomy again. We can go to my room afterward."

"Yeah sure. I'll help you out. But only if you help me out with my German again," said Amy. "I tried to say hello to Professor Gunther the other day and I think I hurt his feelings."

Rob laughed. "Don't worry about it. You're smart, but you can't know everything overnight. I feel left behind enough as it is with you around."

Amy chuckled and looked at her watch. "Oh, wow! It's five forty-five! I got to get to class! I'll meet you at the Caf'!"

"Sure thing!" Rob waved as she ran off.

ssssss

"Herr Jan," the Biology Professor, Doctor Himmel, read from his attendance record.

"Hier," said Jan from the back of the classroom.

"Herr Karl," read the Professor.

"Ja!" Karl raised his hand.

"Fraulein Nicola."

"Tag!"

"Fraulein Heidi."

"Ja, ja…" Heidi purred from the back of the class. She had her feet up on the desk and was filing her nails.

"Heidi… please get your feet on the floor where they belong!" Doctor Himmel barked.

Heidi obeyed, but only after yawning as if doing so was just a favor. Some of the boys in the back of the room snickered and gave her lustful looks. Heidi smiled and winked at them.

Amy rolled her eyes. She'd only been here a month, but only in the past few days had Heidi started acting strangely like this. It seemed suddenly she was attractive to every man on the Campus and she acted as if she ruled the world. Every guy, for his part, was acting like she was in heat.

_Oh well, she's probably just coming into her own. It's not like she's ugly or anything. She just used to be so shy and withdrawn. I was just starting to like her too._ Amy thought.

"Herr Heinrich," said the Professor, continuing the role call.

There was no answer. "Herr Heinrich!" the Professor said more loudly, looking up at the classroom. "Ach! Another student absent? And no phone call either!"

"Herr Josef is still absent, Doctor Himmel," another student volunteered.

"Ja. Ja. I know," Himmel looked upset. "And no phone call from him for days. Has anyone in here spoken to him or at least seen him on Campus?"

Everyone looked around the room, but no one had an answer. Heidi smiled and chuckled under her breath. Amy looked at her again. This wasn't a laughing matter. Did she know something? Amy thought about her dream again…

"Very well! We shall move on with the lesson!" Himmel threw down his list and began drawing on the Dry Erase Board with a Marker.

ssssss

Amy sat at a small round table just inside the Café up the street from the University. Early on this place had become one of her favorite places to hang out. Her favorite spot was always next to the picture window in front where she could watch people going by. She was waiting for Robert to show up. For some reason he always seemed to come late, even if he made arrangements ahead of time. It was just one of his little personal quirks. Not that she minded.

Amy had already ordered a Latte' and stirred it idly with her spoon, waiting for it to cool down slightly so she could drink without burning all of her taste buds off. She kept her mind busy with thoughts of Heidi. Why had the girl acted so weird today? What did she know about Heinrich and Josef's disappearance? What kind of secrets was she keeping?

_Maybe I should approach her and ask,_ Amy thought. _I could just be jumping at shadows. But that dream of mine got me thinking. And the pattern here is pretty much the same as it was back when I was a Sailor Senshi fighting the Negaverse. People disappearing without a trace. I wonder if this Dark Syndicate would be after energy as well?_

_Bingo!_ another thought intruded on her consciousness.

Amy's head bolted up and she dropped her spoon on the table with a loud clatter. Some people in the Café looked at her funny and then turned away again. Amy looked around._ That voice! Where did it come from?! Was it inside my head?_

_That's two for two, darling, _said the voice. Indeed it was inside her mind. It even sounded female.

Amy gave up trying to look around. No one in the Café seemed suspicious at any rate. After all, the person talking to her could be miles away… Or she could just be going insane, whatever.

_Who are you? What do you want?_ she thought.

_Your SOUL!_ said the voice dramatically.

Amy's heart froze in her chest. She cupped a hand over one side of her face and directed her vision outside the window in order to hide from everyone else the horrified expression on her face.

The voice seemed to laugh out loud. _Perhaps that was a bit melodramatic,_ she said. _Nevertheless your reaction was priceless. Much better than I expected. I figured a Senshi would be much harder to faze._

_I'm not a Senshi, not anymore,_ Amy denied. _But you still haven't told me who you are. Stop toying with me._

_Before long you will discover who this is,_ said the voice in her head. _If you live long enough that is. Until then my only purpose in speaking to you directly like this is to pass along a message._

_Go on,_ Amy prompted, controlling her expression tightly.

_I'm afraid that you are going to die today,_ said the voice in mock sadness. _I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you see… We weren't expecting you to show up in this city at all. It threw us into quite a spin to know that one of the nine children actually came here. You've really forced us to step up our plans a bit. You're quite an inconvenience, therefore you must be removed before you become an obstacle. I trust you left your Henshin Pen in Tokyo? Good. Then I am quite certain today is the day you meet your demise._

Amy scowled. _What do you want with me? Are you the Queen of the Dark Syndicate? You're the woman my Mother warned me about, aren't you?!_

The voice did not answer, but Amy thought she felt a little bit of a tinge of apprehension from the intruder before the sensation vanished.

_She wasn't expecting me to know that much,_ Amy realized. _Did I give away too much information? Or did I perhaps throw her off? And she said I'm going to die today… When? And how?!_

"Amy?"

Amy nearly jumped clear out of her seat as she turned to look up at Robert. Rob stood over her with concern on his face. "Are you alright?" he asked in Japanese.

Amy put her hand on her chest unconsciously to still her pounding heart. "Yes… I'm fine… Really."

"You had the most frightening look on your face just a second ago," said Robert. "Didn't you see me walk by the window?"

"No… I was… thinking, that's all," said Amy, picking up her spoon. She tried to go back to stirring her drink, but her hand trembled.

Robert sat down across from her and reached across to still her hand with his own. His eyes stared deeply into hers full of sympathy. "Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked.

_Please! Don't ask me that!_ Amy thought, unable to NOT look back into his eyes. "I'm fine now. Just something about school that I forgot. I could really kick myself but I forgot there was a test tomorrow in Statistics."

Robert gave her an 'I don't buy that for a second' look, but he let go of her hand and sat back in his seat. "You know if you need anything you just need to ask and I'll help you."

_Not with this,_ Amy thought. "Thank you," she said aloud. "But this is my problem. Only I can deal with this. It would be wrong of me to drag you into this. So please stop talking about it."

Robert nodded and picked up a menu. He tried to hide it, but his expression of disappointment made Amy feel sorry she'd rebuffed him so harshly. Still… Whatever problems were about to be visited upon her… There was no way she could involve Robert in it. He could get hurt… Or WORSE!

ssssss

The Sun was down when Amy got back to her Dormitory. It was still early in the evening, so a lot of students were still lingering in the lounges and speaking through open doors.

Amy was unusually alert this evening. The mental warning she'd received still hovered in the back of her mind. Part of her didn't even want to say goodnight to Robert on the way home from the Café. She was expecting an attack, but she wasn't prepared. She wasn't a Senshi anymore. She wouldn't be able to fight back against any Youmas if they came at her.

_Maybe if I stay in a crowded area I'll be safer,_ she thought. _I'll find out just how much the Dark Syndicate values its privacy. Just how secret is their mission anyway?_

Amy took a left turn and instead of going to her room she entered one of the lounges. There were about ten or eleven people just mingling there. Watching TV, or playing cards, or just talking. Two people in the far corner were making out, yet no one seemed to notice.

Amy couldn't help but stare at them, with her cheeks glowing. Seeing public displays of affection like that always made her uncomfortable. Maybe she should find another lounge to stay in.

All of a sudden, the girl who was making out broke contact with the boy's face and looked directly at Amy. Amy suddenly recognized the girl's face. It was Heidi! She was with yet another boy tonight.

Heidi smiled at her, then suddenly she pushed the boy away and walked toward Amy. The boy protested in German, but Heidi simply ignored him.

"Hallo, Amy," Heidi greeted her. The smile on her face could have melted ice, but somehow it seemed frightful to Amy. "I have something I want to talk to you about. Do you have a moment?"

Amy blinked. _I wonder what I should do?_ she thought. Heidi was acting suspicious today, laughing about those missing boys. Plus she had been seen dating both of them at one point shortly before each boy vanished. _Is there some foul play here?_

"Um, sure," said Amy. "We can talk here, if you like."

Heidi flipped her hair over her shoulder casually. "Actually… This is something rather private. I don't want others to hear it. It's so embarrassing really. As a fellow girl you might understand what I'm going through."

"Heidi. Come back to the corner, bitte'?" the boy she'd brushed off put a hand on Heidi's shoulder.

"Later, Peter. I have something important to do," Heidi dismissed him. "I promise I'll make it worth your while."

"Ach… You're so mean, Heidi," Peter brushed by and walked out the door like a whipped puppy. "Call me."

"Ja, ja," Heidi waved him off and smiled again at Amy. "So… Will you come with me?"

Heidi's behavior wasn't at all suspicious. Amy couldn't read her expression. Her conversation with that boy Peter was so normal and everyday sounding she wondered if maybe she was overreacting to her nerves again. After all, it's not like she had solid proof Heidi had something to do with those boys disappearing. It was all very circumstantial.

Not that she had any reason to refuse her request without coming off as completely rude… "Okay," Amy said haltingly in German. "I'll come with you."

"Oh, good. I hoped you'd help me." Heidi took Amy's hand and guided her out the door of the lounge. "Let's go to my room. It's quiet in there. I have no room mate."

Amy nodded, trying weigh her options here. If Heidi wasn't dangerous, there'd be no problem, but if she was… What to do? How would she fight back if the situation deteriorated?

_I never thought I'd ever regret my decision to leave Sailor Mercury behind,_ Amy thought. _Yet here I am actually wishing I had her powers again._ Then she shook her head. _No!… I won't regret my decision. I'll find some other way to fight back._

Heidi and Amy came to room 202 and she slipped her Key Card in the slot. Oddly enough, she looked both ways down the hall before entering her room and motioning Amy in. Amy hesitated once again, but then she entered the room. _I'll stay near the door in case I need to run_, she thought.

Heidi closed the door and let out a breath as if relieved of something. "I'm so glad you came with me, Amy. You're the only person who can help me."

"Oh… really?" Amy fumbled with her German. She must have sounded like an imbecile to Heidi. And when she was nervous she found it hard to focus on her foreign languages. If only more people spoke Japanese here, she wished.

Heidi walked to the bed and sat down with her legs crossed. Amy stayed right near the door. "So what do you need help with?" Amy asked. "Homework?"

Heidi suddenly blushed and looked away shyly. "No… It's something more personal…" she said in a hushed voice. "I am in love with you, Amy!"

"You what?!" Amy took a step back and banged the back of her head on the door. "Ouch." Did Heidi just say what she thought she said?!

"I am in love with you!" Heidi confessed, looking as vulnerable as possible. "I have tried to ignore these feelings since I first met you… Even tried drowning myself in boys to make myself forget them… But I can't anymore! Every time I look at you my heart pounds and I long to touch you!"

Amy began to sweat. Of all the things she had expected, THIS was not one of them! Her own heart began to hammer in her chest. "Uh… Wait a minute… Th-this is… well, uh…" Damn! Now she REALLY couldn't focus on her lousy German!

"Amy…" Heidi stood up again and began walking toward her, running her hands down her neck, shoulders, chest and torso slowly. "I cannot resist my feelings for you any longer. I must know do you find me attractive?"

Amy gasped. "O-of course I… don't… At least… Not in that way!" She began to feel desperate. This situation was almost worse than finding a Youma in Heidi's room. She almost would have preferred it! Amy tried fumbling for the doorknob.

Heidi reached out and gripped Amy's chin with her hand and turned her face slowly toward hers. "Amy… I love you…" she said again.

"B-b-but…!!" Amy was pinned with no place to go! What was she going to do? She knew Amara and Michelle loved each other like this, but she wasn't that kind of girl! She always wanted to marry a good man, not a woman. Darien's face jumped to her head all of a sudden and Amy shook that image away immediately. _Wishful thinking is not going to save me from this!_

Heidi didn't pause for an invitation. She leaned forward and kissed Amy on the mouth! Amy's eyes darted wide open as she felt an uninvited tongue slide past her lips! Amy muffled something, but she couldn't form the word 'Stop!' What was worse was the fact that some small part of Amy was actually enjoying this!

Heidi's hands slipped down and un-tucked Amy's shirt. They began to slide slowly up underneath. Amy's stomach sucked in reflexively at the alien touch and she gripped Heidi's arms with her hands to stop her petting. "Please stop!" she said in Japanese when they broke the kiss.

"But don't you enjoy this?" asked Heidi, also in Japanese as she began kissing Amy's neck.

_She just spoke Japanese!_ Amy thought with a shudder. _But how would she know...? This isn't the real Heidi! THIS ISN'T THE REAL HEIDI!!_

Amy's nervousness suddenly vanished and she was filled with indignation. She put her hands on Heidi's shoulders and pushed off as hard as she could. Heidi let go and stumbled backward, knocking into a dresser. The lamp on top of it fell to the floor and shattered.

"Get off of me!" Amy exclaimed. "Who are you really?! You're not Heidi Klaus! Show yourself for what you really are!"

Heidi kept up the act of looking hurt right up until Amy finished her sentence, then she dropped the façade entirely. Suddenly the girl's eyes flashed dangerously and she smiled. Her body shook with a small chuckle that built into a bubbling laughter. "Why, Amy. What's wrong? Don't tell me you didn't enjoy all that attention," she spoke, once again in Japanese. "Of course, I would have had you had I not slipped up and spoken your tongue."

"You wouldn't have had me anyway! I'm not that kind of girl!" Amy felt anger well up inside of her. She literally shook with it. She couldn't remember being this angry in a long time. She was actually more angry at herself for being fooled like this. "Who are you?!"

Heidi laughed again, and this time her canines could be seen. They were sharp like fangs in her mouth. The color of her skin began to drain and turn white. The timbre of her voice changed and deepened.

_This is it!_ Amy thought.

Heidi's body continued to transform. Her claws sharpened like daggers and her body became huge, tearing through her clothes. Bony protrusions began to poke through the taut skin.

Seconds later, a six foot tall Youma stood before Amy and snarled at her. "Princess Ami! You who are Sailor Mercury! I have been ordered to kill you! It's a pity that I couldn't make you enjoy your last moments as much as I will!"

Amy reached for the doorknob and threw the door open. She left Heidi's room and ran down the hallway as fast as she could. People who were still mingling looked at her oddly, then they screamed and ducked into their rooms when they saw the Youma charge out of the open room.

"Come back here… Coward!" the Youma snarled at Amy.

"I'm not Sailor Mercury anymore!" Amy protested, scrambling down the stairs to the first floor. _If I had let her proceed… She might have killed me without a chance to fight back!_ thought Amy. _I have got to be more on guard from now on!_

"It matters not. Our Queen wants you dead." The Youma cleared the steps with one leap. Students on the first floor either froze right where they stood, or screamed and ran. Amy steered herself away from the panicking mob and burst through a side door outside into the dark courtyard.

"You cannot escape!" shouted the Youma. "Get her, boys!"

From out of the bushes charged two young German men. Amy looked over her shoulder as she ran and recognized both of them. It was Josef and Heinrich! The two missing students! They chased her like they were possessed. Though they still looked like themselves their eyes were bright red and they foamed at the mouth like rabid predators.

Amy screamed and ran harder through the maze of the garden paths, trying to lose her pursuit. However she was getting tired. Those that chased her didn't seem to get tired. Suddenly Heidi dropped down from above and landed right before her. Amy stopped short and turned, but Josef and Heinrich were right there to grab her by each arm. Their grip was incredibly strong, and they didn't faze much when she kicked one of them in the balls.

"What did you do to them?!" Amy asked

"I simply stole their Spirit Energy," Heidi explained. "Once their Spirits are drained, they become our servants. Soon even their bodies will become like monsters to match their new personalities."

Josef and Heinrich took Amy and dashed her against the wall. Amy cried out in pain and felt a little bit dazed. She wondered just how painful her death would be. She didn't see any way of getting out of this situation alive.

"What are you doing with their Spirit Energy?" Amy asked when she caught her wind back.

"Queen Lucia demands it," said Heidi. "We need energy to raise the Great Demoness from her slumber and conquer the world."

"The Great… Demoness?" Amy repeated slowly. _Very soon the Dark Syndicate will come out from hiding,_ Amy recalled Queen Chastity's prophetic words from her dream the other night. _They will attempt to awaken a very powerful force from the Underworld_.

_If they succeed… No one, not even Sailor Moon… Will be able to stop them…_ Chastity had said to her.

_But HOW?! How can I stop these monsters if I can't even fight back against one of their henchmen?!_ Amy thought desperately. _I'm sorry, Mother… But I'm just not a Senshi anymore!_

"And now we'll take your Spirit Energy," said Heidi, reaching for her chest with her claws. "The Spirit Energy of a Senshi is said to be rich in power, and you will make a powerful ally to the Dark Syndicate."

Amy screamed and tried to struggle, but she couldn't break free. Oddly enough, her last thought wasn't of Darien this time. It was of Robert. What would he do if the Dark Syndicate succeeded in enslaving the world? What would become of everyone she knew and loved?

Amy wasn't aware she had her eyes closed until she heard something approaching at high speed. She opened them just in time to witness a rather large ball of yellow energy fly in from the right and slam into Heidi's side. The Youma snarled as the energy carried her into a tangle of brush, setting it aflame!

Amy gasped and looked to the right from where the energy had come. Was it a Senshi? She couldn't quite make out the shadowy figure who stood at the end of one of the paths. Whoever it was, was tall and seemed to wield a large smoking Pistol in their right hand.

"So long as my body holds breath, you will not take the Spirit Energy of a Sailor Senshi!" It was a man's voice!

Heidi leaped out of the burning bush and roared. "GET HIM!!" She commanded the two former students clutching Amy's arms.

Josef and Heinrich dropped Amy and took off down the path at a full sprint, their red eyes blazing. As Amy looked on, the man waited until the last second to jump into the air and flip over their heads, behind their backs. The two Demons turned, only to have the mysterious stranger blast a gaping hole in Josef's chest with his pistol. Josef yowled in agony and fell to the ground. As he did so his body turned black and crumbled into ashes!

Heinrich seemingly ignored the plight of his companion and set to work slashing at the man with his hands, which now bore humongous claws on them. The man athletically back-stepped away from each swipe. Heinrich couldn't even touch him.

Heidi began to grow impatient and she too began to charge in to fight him. The man's back was to them and so he didn't see the attack coming. Amy knew if he got ambushed by Heidi the fight wouldn't last very long! Amy did the only thing she could think of to help him out… She squatted down and stuck out her leg as Heidi ran by and tripped her.

Heidi stumbled and fell to her knees. Growling even louder in rage, she turned and grabbed Amy by the throat. "I'LL RIP YOUR LUNGS OUT!!" She bellowed.

The man turned suddenly to look at Heidi and Amy. All of a sudden he snapped into action, ducking under the extended swipe of one of Heinrich's arms and booted the former student in the midsection. The blow knocked Heinrich off balance enough for the man to come to one knee, take aim with his Pistol, and fire another shot at Heidi, a bigger one this time.

Heidi's attention was on Amy, so she didn't see the fireball coming in time to dodge or block it. She could only look over her shoulder as the shot burned into her torso and incinerated half her body, along with the arm that held Amy by the collar. Amy fell to the ground and quickly brushed off the remains of the claw that held her. Heidi was still alive, but she was writhing on the ground in agony with only one arm and half her body intact.

The man turned as Heinrich charged again and stuck the Pistol right into Heinrich's stomach. Heinrich's eyes widened just before getting vaporized at point blank range! That was two down. Only Heidi was left.

Heidi had somewhat recovered and was scrambling toward Amy on one side, reaching out to try and finish her off. Amy stood up and backed away, nodding once to the man. Her rescuer stepped out of the shadows, into the light of a nearby lamp post and took aim. He was dressed in a long flight jacket over a set of black boots, brown pants, a heavy brown belt with a symbol of a Star on the buckle, and a white shirt with the same logo on the chest. A pair of flight goggles were down over his eyes. His hair was brown and he was tall, probably as tall as Tuxedo Mask.

"That's as far as you go, Youma." He said in flawless Japanese. "I told you before I will not allow you to take her energy!"

Heidi roared at him in frustration as he squeezed off one more shot with his Pistol. The ball of energy that roasted the Youma was his biggest yet, and it completed the job of turning her into a pile of ashes. In less time than it took for Amy to get caught, the fight was over.

Amy's knees trembled as she looked at the man who had saved her. The man smiled a little bit at her as he held up his Pistol next to his face.

"Who are you?" Amy asked.

"My name is Solar Pilot, and I'm here to protect you," he said to her. "Without your powers you're going to need my help against this enemy. The creatures of the Dark Syndicate are fierce."

"You mean this isn't the first time…?" Amy asked, looking at the pile of ashes that was once Heidi Klaus' Youma.

"No, I've fought them before," said Solar Pilot. "But they never targeted someone in particular before like they targeted you. That's how I knew you were special. And I overheard them saying you were a Sailor Senshi… Well I can't very well let them take one of you Angels from this world before your time."

Amy blushed slightly at being referred to as an Angel. "What are you? A Kamen?"

"Just a soldier of good. It looks like from now on I'll be your protector. The Dark Syndicate I don't think will stop with that Youma," said Solar Pilot, twirling his Pistol on his finger as if to holster it. Suddenly his grip slipped and he dropped the gun on one of his boots! Solar Pilot yelped in sudden pain and grabbed his foot, hopping up in down!

Amy sweated as she watched what had been a stoic and flawless hero a moment ago suddenly act like an idiot. He cursed a few times in several languages as he hopped around on his good foot.

"Um… Are you okay?" Amy asked him, feeling sorry for him, but trying not to think any less of him at the same time.

Solar Pilot stopped hopping as he saw the expression on Amy's face and picked up his sidearm. Clearing his throat nervously, with a giant sweat-drop hanging by his face, he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Amy called out to him. "Who are you really?! You know that I'm a Senshi, but I don't know who you are!"

"Don't worry, your secret's safe," Solar Pilot waved over his shoulder and smiled at her. Soon he was gone in the shadows, leaving Amy standing next to a burning shrub in slightly tarnished clothing.

"What a day this has been," Amy muttered. "I wonder who he really is? He was like Tuxedo Mask… But a bit clumsier," she finished, thinking about the gaffe with the gun.

TO BE CONTINUED...

NEXT CHAPTER: WHO IS THAT MASKED MAN?


	2. chapter two

CHAPTER TWO: WHO IS THAT MASKED MAN?

"You look like Hell," said Robert as Amy sat down across from him at Breakfast.

"I didn't sleep at all last night," Amy admitted, stifling a yawn. "I kept having nightmares about monsters and being chased through the Garden."

Robert poured a cup of coffee and handed it to her. "Nightmares? What could have caused you to have dreams about monsters?"

Amy sighed. "You know that bush out in the Garden that was all burnt up?"

"Yeah I passed by it this morning. I was wondering what happened," said Rob.

"I was there when it happened," said Amy, sipping her coffee. "I was being chased… By a Youma. A monster so to speak. She was trying to kill me. She'd already killed Josef and Heinrich."

"Those two missing students?" asked Robert. "And why do you say 'Youma'?"

"Forget it. You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Amy looked out the window of the Dining Hall.

"There you go, being all evasive on me," said Rob. "You shouldn't do that. What happened to you last night? Were you hurt?"

"No," Amy shook her head. "Somebody rescued me. A man… Dressed in a flight suit with a large gun. He spoke perfect Japanese. He told me he would protect me."

"Sounds like quite the stud," said Robert, taking a drink from his own coffee.

"Not really, he dropped his Pistol on his foot while he was talking to me and hurt himself once he was done saving me. It was quite silly," said Amy with a slight smile.

Robert seemed to choke for half a second on his drink and he sat there coughing. For some reason his cheeks seemed to flame up red. "Is that so…?" he gasped.

"Is something wrong?" Amy asked him.

"No! Nothing!" Robert waved her off. "I just found it a little funny, that's all."

"I don't blame you if you don't believe me," said Amy, looking down at her cup.

"Hey, that's not true at all," Robert leaned forward earnestly. "I've only known you for a month, but I know you wouldn't make up crazy stories or try to lie to me. You're too honest for that."

Amy smiled at him. "Thanks. But you don't have to patronize me. By the way, you spilled the rest of your coffee."

When he leaned forward, Robert had knocked over the cup he'd quickly set down after his choking fit. He jumped out of his seat. "Oh, shit! I better get some napkins." He made as if to grab some napkins from the next table, but apparently a little of the coffee had spilled onto the floor from the table. Next thing Amy knew, Robert's foot was pointing toward the ceiling and he was flat on his back with stars circling his head.

Amy couldn't help but laugh to see him bumble around like that. "Oh, Rob… You're so clumsy…" she chuckled. Suddenly a thought occurred to her just then. _Clumsy… Just like him!_

She remembered the gun incident again and then she looked down at Robert, who was just now recovering from his fall. _The two of them are clumsy, have brown hair, are fairly tall. Could he be…?_

Robert stood up and looked at his shirt sadly. "Darn. This was a new shirt too. Coffee stains take forever to get out," he noticed Amy looking at him intently. "Um… Do I have something on my face?" he asked.

Amy felt a little color come to her face and she sat back down. "No, not really," she lied. "I was just wondering, where were you last night around nine o'clock?"

"Huh? Oh, I was in the Library just finishing up a paper on Aerodynamics," said Robert. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing," Amy finished the rest of her coffee and looked at her watch. "I have another class in a half hour so I should go. See you at lunch?"

"Sure, wouldn't miss it," Robert sat down and watched Amy leave the room. "Why does she always do that? She starts to open up to me and then again she doesn't," he wondered after she left.

sssss

Amy slowly walked back through the Garden toward Nurnburg Hall, where her eight o'clock Statistics class was. On the way, as she knew she would, she passed by that scorched bush again. There were two people, a man and a woman, standing next to the burnt shrub, looking at it. Both of them looked rather displeased about it. The man was nearly bald, with a small mustache above his lip and a blue blazer on. He had to have been the Head Dean of Munich University, Herr Kornheiser. The woman next to him was much younger looking than he. She had long brown hair braided French style from her neck to the end of her hair in one long tail with a small green ribbon at the end to tie off the tip. Her dress was a light blue and oddly enough she had no shoes or socks on her feet at all. She was very beautiful as well.

Amy paused to listen to them talk about the bush. Something about that woman made her want to hear her voice.

"This is such a mess!" Herr Kornheiser said. "Those damn students are getting more and more wild every year! Now we have vandals running about! Look at all the unsightly ashes on the paths too!"

"Do not worry, Monsieur Kornheiser," the woman apologized to him in an odd mixture of German and French. "I will have this mess cleaned up immediately and I shall plant a new bush here."

"You're the best Gardener we have, Diana," said the Dean. "I trust you'll manage it perfectly. I for one shall hunt down who did this and push for their immediate expulsion!"

"Diana, huh?" Amy began walking again. _That name strikes a chord. Of course… The only 'Diana' I've ever known is Rini's little kitten. Luna's daughter._

Amy felt a pair of eyes on her back and she turned her head over her shoulder to look back at the bush. Herr Kornheiser was stalking off and the Gardener Diana was still standing next to the bush. However she was looking directly at Amy with a warm smile on her face.

Amy quickly averted her eyes and increased her pace, blushing. Something about that woman reminded her of the past, but why? And why was she looking at her so oddly?

_She might be an agent of the enemy for all I know,_ Amy thought as she hurried along. _I'd best keep on my toes from now on._

However, Amy was so deep in thought that she didn't realize she was being watched by others as well. If she had only looked up she might have spotted the unusual Gargoyle-like creature that was perched atop a Lamp Post, keeping its eyes intently on her. Once Amy turned the corner and disappeared from sight, the Gargoyle cawed like a crow and took off into the sky.

sssss

The creature flew away from the University, past the famous Frauenkirche, and across downtown Munich, all the way to the outskirts of the city, where the Cemetery sat. Once it entered the Cemetery, it swooped low over the grave stones and headed for a lonely Burial Vault dug into the side of a hill overlooking the Graveyard. It landed on the floor, tapped a hidden switch in the wall, and waited for the stone seal to slide open before venturing inside. The door slid shut behind it.

The Gargoyle took off into flight again and glided down a low, narrow passageway in the pitch darkness. The passage seemed to go deeper and deeper into the earth, until it opened up into a wide spacious chamber with a throne at the far end of it. The Gargoyle cawed again as it flapped its way over to its Mistress, who sat in the throne made out of human bones. She had a black dress on that exposed much of her upper body, yet ended in a thick billowing skirt around her legs. She looked very much humanoid, except for her pointy ears and her dark blue skin. Her hair was black and straight, and came to a sharp 'V' on her forehead. She had black eye shadow over yellow predatory eyes and black lipstick on her lips.

The woman extended her arm and let the Gargoyle perch upon it. Even though it was made of Granite, its weight did not bother the Queen in the slightest.

"So, Heidi failed us," Queen Lucia said softly. "Was it Sailor Mercury?"

The Gargoyle crowed again at length. "I see…" Lucia replied to it. "My foray into her mind the other day revealed much of the same thing. She no longer has any power. She left her Henshin Stick behind in Tokyo. How foolish of her, and how fortuitous toward us. Still… This stranger with the gun has once again set us back a bit. Perhaps we need to target him as well."

The Gargoyle snorted.

"You don't know where he is? Well, no matter. He'll appear again eventually given proper motivation," Lucia whistled sharply and one of her minions melted from the walls. A slender Reptilian Youma with the head of a Cobra appeared and bowed before her.

"Since he came to her rescue last night, there's no reason he won't do so again. So here's what I want you to do," Lucia told the Youma. "Possess another student at the University and get close to Princess Ami. Don't forget to steal some Spirit Energy while you're at it. But when the time is right I want you to destroy Ami. If the boy and his toy appear again to stop you… Destroy him with everything you have. Understand?"

"Yesssssssss…." The Youma hissed like a snake with a tongue flickering out. "My Venom ssssshall more than sssssuficcccce."

"Your Venom can kill even a Sailor Senshi at full strength, so I expect results," the Queen commanded. "Go forth. Bring me back Princess Ami's head so that I may display it proudly next to her Mother's." The Queen laughed wickedly at the conclusion of her last sentence. The Youma bowed again and left the chamber.

sssss

Several days passed since the incident with Heidi's Youma. Amy stayed as alert as she could, but no one else was displaying any weird behavior in any of her classes. The weekend came and went with no incident either. By Monday morning Amy was just about ready to stop hunting for Youmas. Her alertness was cutting into her sleep and even starting to ruin her appetite.

Robert, for his part, said nothing during all this, but now and then he would keep trying to pry.

"So do you think you'll see this 'Solar Pilot' character again?" he asked one day.

"I suspect only if trouble starts up again," said Amy. "You still don't believe me, do you?"

"How many times do I have to tell you I believe you, Amy?" Robert sighed. "You think I'm being sarcastic or something, but I'm actually not."

"I guess I just can't believe that you believe me," Amy admitted at last. "Most normal people would call me crazy and keep their distance from me."

"Well you're not exactly a normal girl, I could tell that about you from the start," said Rob.

Amy stopped. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that there's something special about you," said Robert. He put an arm behind his head nervously and averted his eyes as he talked. "Ever since I first saw you, you just seem to have so much more presence than normal girls. You're so smart. Almost unnaturally smart if you ask me… And you… Remind me of another girl I knew a long time ago."

Amy didn't know why that statement made her heart increase in tempo, but she found that this time it wasn't all that unpleasant to hear him say that. She smiled at Robert. "That was a very kind thing of you to say, Robert. Thank you."

"Well… D-don't mention it," Robert grinned awkwardly.

For some reason Amy imagined he was going to tell her flat out he knew she was a Senshi. But that was ridiculous. Why would he say that? There's no way he'd know. Still, it was an acute fear of hers… That someone would find out her secret. She felt more vulnerable toward that since she'd quit. She didn't want to jeopardize her friends. She'd already cost them so much. She still was nervous about this 'Solar Pilot' guy knowing her identity. He'd told Amy her secret was safe with him, but she didn't know that for certain. Sure he'd saved her life, but that didn't take away from the fact he was still a stranger. He could just be a ruse sent by the enemy.

Amy shook her head of those thoughts. _Bah! Why would the enemy go through all that trouble for someone like me? I have no powers anymore. Stop this, Amy! Another week and you'll begin to question your own allegiance!_

There was a commotion up ahead that caught her attention. A bunch of students were running toward it and there were some fearful voices amid the gathering crowd around the Central Fountain.

"Let's go see what's up," Robert suggested, curious about the event also.

Amy nodded and jogged with him over to the fountain. The students stepped aside as the two of them pushed their way to the edge of the marble fountain. Amy gasped when she saw what was in the water.

The body of another student was laying in the water, leaning against the centerpiece of the fountain. His head was slumped to the side. It was obvious from his skin color and posture he was dead! The side of his neck was exposed and Amy could barely make out two little puncture marks in his neck. There was no blood, but the skin around the two holes was a sickly green color.

Everyone murmured amongst themselves nervously. Finally, Herr Kornheiser and a bunch of other Professors pushed their way into the mix and their faces mirrored their horror when they saw the body.

"Somebody call the Police and the Ambulance!" Herr Kornheiser shouted. "Everybody please back away from the fountain and don't touch anything!"

The students grudgingly backed away. Amid the whispers in German, Amy could barely make out a few exchanges of 'Vampire,' being tossed around. Amy looked again at the body. It would seem like a Vampire was certainly responsible, but Amy knew better. It was a Youma. There was no doubt about it.

Robert's face was grim. When he caught Amy looking at his face, he smiled. "I'll tell you what I'm thinking if you tell me what you're thinking," he offered.

"Nice try," Amy replied.

"It was worth a shot…" Robert shrugged.

sssss

That night Amy received another mental broadcast from Queen Lucia. At least that was who she thought it was.

_Did you like my little gift today?_ she asked.

_That's not funny,_ Amy thought back. _I assume you're taking more Spirit Energy with this Vampire thing you've got running around?_

_Vampire? Now that's funny,_ the woman laughed back in her head. _You may have gotten lucky the first time, but we'll be expecting your friend the next time he shows up to save your ass. So don't get too cocky this time. I know now that you don't have your powers and you're as helpless as the rest of these Humans._

_Then why are you so anxious to kill me?_ Amy challenged. _Is there something about me that worries you particularly?_

The voice didn't answer back for several seconds. Amy wondered smugly if she'd hit the nail on the head. Finally, her reply came: _I think your ignorance in this case works more to our advantage. I will not allow you to become an obstacle to me or my plans, daughter of Chastity._

Amy narrowed her eyes. _What do you know about my past?_

_Let's just say that you and I are a lot closer to one another than you think,_ the voice said. _Stay alive long enough and you'll find out the truth. I don't suspect you will, however. Like I said before… You won't be getting lucky twice. Consider going back to Tokyo and I'll leave you alone._

_I may no longer be a Senshi, but I'm not a chicken,_ Amy thought. _I'm not going anywhere._

The woman simply chuckled in her head. _Very well. Game on… Princess Ami._

After that there was no more exchange. Amy began to get an uneasy feeling in her mind that this enemy was going to turn out to be a bit more personal than she first thought. _I wish I could talk to my Mother again,_ she thought. _She didn't tell me nearly enough about the Dark Syndicate it seems._

sssss

The next day two more bodies showed up. One turned up down in the lower level of the Library. A girl slumped over her computer, with the same two bite marks in her neck. The second victim was found in her Dorm Room, apparently taken in her sleep. The window was broken, but other than that there was no other evidence of foul play other than the clues left on the student's body.

The Police got involved in the case, but none of them could make any sense of the bodies. Each autopsy came back with the conclusion that these students had been bitten by some kind of Snake. They had massive amounts of venom in their bodies at the time of the murders.

Amy considered these things as she heard the news. Whatever Youma the Dark Syndicate had unleashed on Munich University it was using its venom to paralyze or cripple its victims in order to steal their Spirit Energy, that much was for certain. Heidi had seduced her victims into willingly giving up their energy. This one simply made them unable to fight back.

On the third day of the killings, Amy was sitting in her Statistics Class, musing over the victims. She couldn't concentrate on her studies while all this was going on. The thought of other students getting killed was weighing too heavily on her mind. _Solar Pilot says he's fought them before,_ she thought. _That means that they've been operating on trying to raise this Demon from the Underworld since before I arrived. But I still can't help feeling like all these deaths are my fault._

Once class was over, Amy decided to take a walk around the school Garden. She went first to the place where the burned bush once stood. Already the Gardener had removed the bush and only a blank patch of dirt remained where it once was. Amy assumed it would be replaced shortly. The rest of the Garden stretched on for about half a mile and was blooming with all sorts of different colored flowers. Geraniums and Tulips appeared to be the most common. They were all artfully arranged in various designs. Some of the bushes were trimmed to look like animals and other objects. One hedgerow was planted in such a way as to spell out MU, the initials of the University, large enough for Jets flying overhead to see them.

_What a very clever job this Gardener did,_ Amy thought. _And her artistic talent is impressive. Diana I think her name was…_ Amy recalled passing by her last week and getting a very funny feeling about her. Plus, she was certain Diana had looked directly at her and smiled. The smile itself was friendly enough, but did it have some hidden meaning to it? Maybe Amy could find the next Youma if she went to investigate this Diana person. Of course, she would be in some trouble if the Youma tried to kill her again. Would Solar Pilot come to her rescue again or would she die?

One way or the other, Amy made up her mind to try anyway. She couldn't go on living with people dying around her and not do anything. Senshi or no Senshi, she would make the effort to put a stop to this regardless.

"I guess saving the day really has become a habit," said Amy wryly.

TO BE CONTINUED...

NEXT CHAPTER: THE MYSTERIOUS GARDENER, DIANA.


	3. chapter three

CHAPTER THREE: DIANA, THE MYSTERIOUS GARDENER!

Of course finding her was not as simple as one thought. Amy realized after searching half the Campus that she knew nothing about the Gardener at all. So how could she expect to find her if she didn't know where she lived, or at least where she went?

_I need to figure out her habits,_ Amy decided at last. _And for that I need to ask about her. But who would know her aside from the Head Dean? It's not like I can go straight to him._

_Maybe, just maybe, Robert might know._ Amy knocked on his Dorm Room but after a few minutes of knocking no one answered.

_I guess he's at a class or something,_ thought Amy. _I'd better try someplace else._

There were many contract workers working at Munich University, so Amy decided to ask some of them if they knew a Diana. Most of them told her they'd never met her. But a few of them had heard of her at least. Everyone seemed to agree that she was rather new at the University, arriving barely a month ago. Amy wondered at the timing. Diana had been here barely as long as she had. A coincidence?

Finally, she caught up to one of the Assistant Gardeners watering the Ivy Plants on the North End of the Campus. He was an elderly looking man named Kurt.

"Ah… Diana," he said cheerfully to Amy. "Ja, she's new here alright. Arrived at the tail end of July, just as the new semester was starting up. She took things over right away and in less than a month she's really transformed this Campus into something to be proud of. She keeps to herself, though there's no one sweeter on the job. She spends most of her day in that Greenhouse of hers just next to the Botany Department in Building 115. No one's allowed inside, but you can knock if you absolutely need to talk with her."

Amy thanked him and headed toward Building 115. She mulled over the man's description of the woman. Kind… Yet keeps to herself. She's got amazing talent with plants if she had managed to transform Munich like this in less than a month. Amy hadn't really paid attention herself. She'd been worrying more about her studies and getting around from class to class early on to notice her surroundings too much. Although Kurt had been very benign with his praise of Diana, Amy thought that her reclusiveness made her suspicious enough. After all a person could be completely different alone than she was around others. That much Amy knew from personal experience. Besides, how many people had she seen possessed by Youmas, Daimons and Droids in her life to know that just because someone was nice to others didn't mean it wasn't an act.

Amy came to the Greenhouse right where the old Gardener had said it would be. The windows were fogged up from the inner humidity, so she couldn't peer inside to see if anyone was there. She decided to take the direct approach and knock on the glass door at the north end of the Greenhouse. Her knuckles seemed to reverberate in every glass panel, even though she knocked as lightly as possible. She winced and stood there feeling awkward.

At length, she finally saw a blue and white blob emerge from the blurry green within and walk up to the door. Amy swallowed hard as the glass door swung open slowly and the woman inside looked out at her as if surprised to be getting a visitor.

"Guten Tag," Amy said. "My name is Amy Mizuno. I'm a student here, though I'm originally from Japan. I was wondering… Do you have a moment?"

It was definitely the same woman from before. She was even wearing the same blue dress and her feet were still bare. The soles of her feet were brown with mud, yet the mud stains seemed to belong there. Her brown hair was matted by the sweat on her face and slightly disheveled from the braid it was tied into. Her dress was stained with sweat as well, yet she didn't seem ashamed of that.

"Bonjour, Amy Mizuno," Diana smiled sweetly at her. "It is such a pleasure to meet you." Her accent was definitely French. Amy felt better about that. She knew French way better than she knew German. It was the first Second-language after English that she'd learned in High School. "My name is Diana Marceaux. If you don't mind the heat you may come in."

"Merci," Amy thanked her in French.

Diana stepped aside and let Amy enter. The humidity seemed to wrap Amy in a cocoon of wet air and Amy had to take a deep breath it seemed just to get the same amount of oxygen from a normal breath of air. Inside the Greenhouse it was like a Jungle on a whole different world! The sun shone through the solar panels in rays that were diffused by the thick canopy of leaves and branches that bent overhead. The plants in here all appeared to be tropical and the flowers arrayed on the ground at her feet were of so many different and wondrous varieties that it nearly took her breath away! Some of these plants Amy was certain she'd never seen before. There were no tables. Everything grew straight from the ground. Except for the glass dome overhead, this place seemed very much like a real Jungle!

Even if she wanted to, Amy could not conceal her wonderment. For some of these plants to have grown in this way this Greenhouse would have had to have been here long before Diana had come! There was no way anyone could grow plants this big in less than a month!

"You look surprised," Diana said, closing the door quietly. "Most people don't like to venture in here because of the heat or of the muddy ground. I must ask that you stay on the paths, please. Stray but a little and you could kill anything you step upon."

"I will," Amy turned to Diana. "I've seen your work, by the way. Outside in the Courtyard… And the Gardens as well. You did all that?"

"Well, some of it," Diana said modestly. "I couldn't have done all that without the help of the other Gardeners. But the designs are all mine."

"Wow… Have you worked anyplace before this? Where did you work previously?" asked Amy.

"Many places," said Diana. An oddly evasive answer. "Gardening is what I do best. It's so fulfilling to be able to nurture plants and animals. Life is so fragile and helpless at first… But with a little effort it grows incredibly strong. Strong… And beautiful."

Amy was captivated. This didn't sound like a Youma talking. She doubted any of the Dark Syndicate had much respect for any life. She decided to try a different tack. "I saw you the other day near the bush that got burned. Have you found out yet how it got destroyed?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that," said Diana.

"I beg your pardon?!" Amy didn't expect that response. Her heart began to pound.

"Don't fret, Amy," said Diana. "I merely ask because I saw you as well the other day. You seemed overly interested in that bush for some reason. I thought perhaps you would have had something to do with it?"

"Of course not! I'd n-never destroy something that belonged to someone else!" Amy shook her head emphatically. Suddenly she realized how defensive she sounded and she shut her mouth. This Diana person was good.

Diana beamed at her with genuine sweetness and Amy felt her barriers fall away all at once. She felt like Diana was gazing right through her. She felt naked, in a manner of speaking. It wasn't the hawkish shrewdness of a clever villain, either. It was the kind of disarming charm that Mothers used to catch their children in some act. It made Amy think of her Earthly Mother back in Tokyo. Though she didn't feel threatened like she did around Heidi, she did start to wish she hadn't come looking for Diana.

"Oh dear, I might have put you off," Diana sighed. "I am sorry. I have a habit of doing that. Some people don't like my smile. People with things to hide usually feel uncomfortable around me."

"Wh-what makes you think I have something to hide?" Amy stuttered.

"Everyone has something to hide, even me, Amy," said Diana, picking up a watering can and pouring some water onto a bright red flowering plant. "But there are those with consciences that are carrying things too burdensome to hide. It eats away at them… Slowly. They are ashamed to tell anyone these things, yet they want to."

Amy almost felt her heart stop! What was she talking about? Was she that transparent?! Could Diana be talking about her inner demons regarding Dark Mercury? Just how perceptive was this woman?

"Is there something that you wish to tell me?" Diana looked up from her watering at Amy. Her green eyes were vivid and deep. It was the same expression Robert Prower had given her several days ago when he'd asked her the same question: "Is there something you want to tell me?" he'd asked.

"No!" Amy shook her head and took a step back. "And even if I did have something to hide, why should I tell you?! I'm the one asking the questions here!" She covered her mouth as her mind caught up to what she was saying. "I'm sorry. I sounded very rude just now."

"Non… I am the rude one," Diana said, this time her smile was tinged with sadness. "I am, of course, a complete stranger to you. How dare I pry into you like that? I apologize." Diana walked over to the wall and gently set the can down at the corner of a bend in the path. There was a hollowed out log extending out from the wall and she placed the can under the end of it.

"Condensation will soon drip from the walls into this log and then into the watering can," Diana explained in an odd change of subject. "Soon the can will fill up again and I will be able to water my Garden anew. It is the cycle of water. The cycle of Nature. It is but a simple reminder to us all that all things come around again. Good times may end, but they always return, like the Sun after a storm. Perhaps one day you will understand the meaning of this yourself."

Amy sighed. What a convoluted individual this Diana was. "I wanted to ask you something. Have you heard of all the students disappearing or dying lately?"

Diana's smile seemed to freeze for just half a second. "I did not know any of them personally, but it is truly regrettable," she replied after seeming to consider her answer carefully. "I can see you wish to do something about it. Truly these crimes cannot be allowed to continue. You have the means to solve this mystery Amy Mizuno. And know that you are not alone. Someone very close to you watches over you and will never let you come to harm. And others… Are on their way to you even as we speak."

Amy gasped. Diana turned and rounded a corner in the foliage, out of sight. Amy felt compelled to ask her what she meant by that. But when she ran around the corner she paused, looking around. Diana was gone. She was nowhere to be seen, and Amy was certain she wasn't simply hiding to play a trick on her. But the only way out of the Greenhouse was that front door, so how did she disappear?

_Either I'm going crazy… Or there's more to that woman than what I saw,_ Amy decided. _Yet for some reason… I just can't believe that she's a Youma. So what is she? And what does she have to do with me?_

Amy left the Greenhouse several minutes later with more questions swimming in her mind than ever before!

ssssss

Later that night Amy was in her room. She'd just finished with her homework and she switched on her television to watch some News before going to bed. To her amazement, the news seemed to be focused squarely on Tokyo for some reason. Something was going on over there.

Knowing it might have something to do with her friends, Amy turned up the volume. Just then somebody knocked on her door.

Amy opened the door and saw Robert standing there. He was hunched over slightly and looked to be in a little bit of pain.

"What happened to you?" asked Amy.

"Nothing too serious. Just took a bad fall down some steps," Robert said in a strained voice. "Can I come in? Or were you about to turn in for the night?"

"Of course," Amy stood aside and motioned him in. "Let me take a look at your ribs, will you?"

"Thanks. You're wonderful Amy," said Robert.

"Sit down on the bed. I'll get some ice," Amy moved to the Freezer and broke out an ice tray.

Robert sat as he was told and he looked at the television. "Hey look, there's something going on in Tokyo. Isn't that where you're from?"

Amy dropped some of her ice. She looked from her small kitchen toward the television at images of flashing Police lights and Helicopters circling over the skyline. The narration proved it was a German broadcast. The words on the caption read: "Images courtesy of WTKO Channel Six News."

"Reports coming in from Japan are sketchy, but it now appears as though the city is under siege once again from a super-human terrorist," said the German News Anchor. "The first reported incident since Dark Mercury, which occurred over a month ago and first awakened the world to the presence of the so-called Sailor Senshi. A manhunt is currently underway in the city of Tokyo to bring this person to justice. All we can say for now is that it is some kind of super-powered Vigilante killing criminals. So far the death toll is reportedly upwards of over fifty. More to come on the International implications of this event. The United States in particular is making moves to get involved due to their security interests in the city. No word yet from the Japanese Government on any kind of actions or negotiations. Tokyo, as you know, has been on the mend since last month's destruction and whispers around the globe are hinting at damage control…"

(For more on the situation in Tokyo, ready Executioner's Law. -- Kingofmercury)

Amy sat down next to Robert with the ice in hand, but made no move to apply it to his bruised ribs. She was rooted to the television set.

"What is going on over there?" she asked softly.

Robert shifted uneasily on the bed. "It must be tough seeing your home town get battered so much, huh?"

Amy nodded. Some kind of super-powered vigilante? Was it a Youma like what she was fighting? Or a Senshi? In the past week or so she'd managed not to think of Tokyo too much, except in passing, due to her own struggles here. However, this news report drove home to Amy that things were happening half a world away and her friends might well be in danger.

"I just hope they get a hold of whoever this is before it does become another international incident, otherwise the Senshi may never enjoy a moment's peace again in their entire lives." She stood up and walked over to the phone in the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" asked Robert.

"I need to know more. I can't sit by and watch this without knowing all the details," said Amy, dialing a number. "I got to make a few phone calls."

Rob nodded in understanding and turned back to the television. He took the ice Amy had left next to him and put it on his aching ribs. _I know you want to be back there, Amy,_ he thought._ I can see it in your eyes. I just hope you don't decide to go back there. Your life is here now. I'll never let you out of my sight again…_

But there were other concerns even greater than that. He hadn't told Amy how he'd actually gotten the bruises. The Youma that was on the loose killing students with those weird bite marks had been discovered. He caught it in the act while sucking the Spirit Energy out of another girl in the Basement of the Main Hall, Building 100. The Youma had taken notice of him and he'd fought a brief, but intense battle as Solar Pilot with the monster. Unlike Heidi, however, this one was considerably strong. He was forced to flee, but not before the Youma got a good hit in and bruised his ribcage pretty badly. He'd managed to lose it, but for how long? It might be able to track him down somehow. If that was the case he had to get Amy to safety. He would never forgive himself if he let Amy die at this point.

"Hello, Mother?" Amy was on the phone. "It's me, Amy… Yes, it's so great to hear your voice too… I'm sorry I don't call more often, but this time it's important… What's going on over there anyway? News about Tokyo is being broadcast internationally. That can't be good… Vigilante? Yes, that's what the News says… Uh huh?… Have you really thought about moving?… Right… I understand…"

Robert sat on the bed with his back to the window. He was splitting his concentration between the television set and Amy on the phone. Therefore he couldn't possibly have known or even sensed danger closing in fast from outside.

All of a sudden the glass behind him shattered and a scaly arm reached inside and grasped him by the throat. Robert got out a short cry of surprise before his windpipe was closed off by the super-strong grip.

Amy screamed and dropped the phone on the ground.

"You will not esssssscape me ssssssso easily!!" The Youma hissed in his ear before yanking out the window to the ground outside.

Amy ran to the window and looked out. A giant Cobra-like Youma had Robert pinned to the ground in the Courtyard. It was trying to take a bite out of his neck, but he was resisting with all his might. Amy didn't know what to do except to grab one of her heaviest Textbooks and heave it at the monster.

The Youma hissed again angrily as the book connected with the back of her head. She turned around and glared at Amy.

"You ssssshall be nexsssssst Princesssss!" It said.

Amy swallowed her fear. "You let him go and deal with me right now, you monster!"

"No! Amy, RUN!!" Robert lifted his head up painfully.

"You ssssshut up!" The Youma cuffed him across the face and stood to face Amy. "You think you can take me, when not even Sssssolar Pilot was able to make a dent in my sssssscalessss?!"

Amy shuddered. What did this thing do to Solar Pilot? Who was going to rescue her now?? Still, she couldn't think of saving herself at this point. Robert was on the ground, helpless. She needed to get that Youma away from him!

Amy turned from the window and ran out of her front door. The Youma hissed and gave chase, leaping through the window again and pursuing her down the hall. Amy ran until she was almost half the campus away from Robert before she stopped running and turned.

The Youma landed before her. It hadn't even broken a sweat. _These Dark Syndicate monsters were very athletic,_ Amy mused.

_Giving up at last?_ that familiar voice teased her.

_No! Not until I'm dead!_ Amy looked around and found a rake leaning against one of the school buildings. She took the tool and broke off the end of it, wielding the wooden shaft like a Staff. Amy twirled it over her head and spread her legs, pointing the stick at the Youma.

"I'm not going down without a fight!" she declared to it.

_Spoken like a true Senshi. But you will not survive this,_ said the voice in her head before the presence faded away again.

ssssss

On the ground outside Amy's room, Robert had to bite his own lip to keep himself conscious. The pain in his chest stung every time he took a breath. But he had to get up. Amy had distracted the monster to save him, but she was the one truly in danger.

"Get up, Rob!" he scolded himself. "If Solar Pilot doesn't catch up with them… Amy will die! And I am not going to let her die a SECOND TIME!!"

He lurched to his feet and began limping off in the direction of where the two others had run. "I should… never have knocked on her door… I'm so stupid! The Youma saw me transform and knows who I am."

ssssss

Amy ducked under the Youma's swinging claws and shoved the end of the stick into its midsection as hard as she could. Then she spun the stick around and cracked it across it's face. The Youma was stunned for a second or two, but then she redoubled in anger.

Pushing her fear aside, Amy swung again. This time the Youma was ready. She caught the stick with her teeth and bit the wooden shaft in two! After that, she back-handed Amy to the ground.

"Child'sssss toysssss," it said, tossing the stick halves away. "You ssssshould never have come here without your powerssssss."

A fact that Amy was regretting more and more each day. Amy tried to get up, but her legs were taken out by the creature's tail. A huge clawed hand reached down and lifted her up by the front of her dress and slammed her into a nearby wall hard enough to make her see lights before her eyes. The resistance slowly bled out of her body.

"Now you die!" The Youma made as if to bite her neck.

Suddenly the ground began to shake underfoot. The shaking caused Amy to come back to her senses somewhat. Enough so that she was aware of her situation.

The Snake Youma looked around. "An Earthquake? In Germany?" it asked.

From underneath the concrete burst a few tendrils of vines. They moved like snakes and wound themselves around the arms and legs of the Youma.

"What in blazesssss?!" it hissed, dropping Amy in order to wrestle with the vines.

Amy scrambled out of the way. Things were happening so fast! What was causing the Earthquake and controlling the vines that way? It couldn't be Solar Pilot!

A pair of strong arms gripped Amy around the midsection and had her airborne, arcing away from the lashing Youma, who was trying to bite through the vines with her teeth. Amy felt butterflies in her stomach from being gripped that way and she turned her head to look and see if Solar Pilot had once again swooped to her rescue?

But just then her head hit up against something soft and squishy and wouldn't go any further. Amy reached up to move the obstruction and felt as if she squeezed a warm pillow.

Her rescuer landed in the branch of a nearby tree and set her down on it. "Ooh, la-la, Ami-chan! You have a strong grip." It was a woman who had jumped in to save Amy this time and she squatted upon a branch adjacent to Amy's, chuckling. Amy suddenly realized what she had grabbed in her confusion and she wanted to die right there of embarrassment!

"Who are you?!" she exclaimed.

It was too dark out to see the woman's face, but her figure was very shapely, her feet were unshod, and her long dark hair was tied in a long French Braid in back. Black squiggly wormlike objects curved around her arms, legs and chest. Amy squinted and discovered they were not worms... but tiny vines that formed miniature designs.

"I knew this would happen," said the woman in all seriousness. Her accent was French, but she spoke in Japanese. "You wouldn't remember me, but I am Sailor Earth. The last time I saw you… you were only thirteen years old. In another lifetime of course. I am here to serve you, your highness."

"Serve me?" Amy felt overwhelmed. Sailor Earth? The one world still unaccounted for in terms of Senshi was now standing before her! "Those vines are yours?"

"Oui. And now I must go and deal with it before it kills again," Earth leaped out of the tree before Amy could ask any more questions.

sssss

Robert pushed himself toward the sounds of combat and the small Earthquake that followed the brief tussle. To his amazement a set of vines burst from the ground and began attacking the Youma. Amy was dropped to the ground and momentarily forgotten. Now was his chance! His ribs were feeling better, but he still didn't know if he was up for fighting. If he couldn't beat this thing healthy how could he do it wounded?

"Gotta transform," he said, reaching for his Solar Pendant. It was a round medallion shaped object with an eight-pointed yellow and white Star painted on the front.

Before he could utter his transformation spell, however, someone leaped in and grabbed Amy, spiriting her away.

"Amy!" he gasped.

"COME BACK HERE WITH MY PREY!!" the Youma snarled, starting to break out of its deadlock with the moving plants.

"Solar Crystal Power!" Robert chanted. His regular clothes were bathed in brilliant light and reformed around his body to that of Solar Pilot. The symbol of the Sun formed on his chest and the buckle of his belt. His shorts lengthened into pants that ended in a pair of black boots, with the cuffs tucked into them. A large elaborate Pistol and a leather holster wrapped itself around his waist and came to rest on his right hip. Lastly, a trench coat flowed over his shoulders and down to his knees. On his head formed a pair of flight goggles that slid down over his eyes, turning the world a deep amber color.

"Switch to infrared mode," Robert said, pulling out his Pistol. The world around him turned reddish, and the struggling Youma showed up as a green and white mozaic of colors. Its color signature indicated it didn't have very much body heat. Just like all the other Youmas he'd fought until now. A set of crosshairs focused on the Youma and he raised his Pistol, though his chest protested under the strain. Focusing through the pain, he put his finger on the trigger. "Solar Pistol! Don't fail me now!"

He let the power pack charge up to full before squeezing the trigger and letting a bright ball of energy fly out and connect with the Youma, causing it to scream out in the night.

The monster staggered even as the vines holding it turned to dust and withered away under the heat. "You again!" it declared as it turned on him. "I'm much stronger than the other Youmassss. That gun won't do much more than burn my sssscalessssss!"

"I don't care. I'm going to keep shooting until I'm out of ammo, or you burn to a crisp you ugly bitch!" Robert began recharging his power pack.

The Youma hissed and roared at the same time as it charged directly at him.

Suddenly a ball of greenish energy floated down from above and dangled itself directly before the Youma. The monster stopped and regarded it curiously. "What the…?"

"Seismic Bomb!" someone, a female voice from the sound of it, called out of the shadows. The green orb exploded and threw the Youma back against the wall, leaving a depression in the bricks. The ground quaked again for a few seconds, and Robert felt as if someone had stuck his head inside a giant bell and hit it with a sledgehammer! He gripped the sides of his head painfully. That thing had used noise to cause the quake!

"Solar Pilot! Take aim!" the same woman called to him.

Right… He had other things to worry about than his headache. He raised his Pistol one more time, took aim right at the creature's heart, and fired full blast. The recoil knocked him off his wobbly legs, and the blast finally got through the Youma's skin, burning it away into nothingness!

Robert sat up in shock. "Why… didn't it work last time?"

"The Seismic shock opened a chink in its fireproof scales," someone answered as her silhouette knelt down next to him. "You did good, Monsieur Pilot,"

Monsieur? Who was this woman? French or something? Robert tried to see who it was, but the infrared only blurred her face into hues of orange and red.

"Rest now. Your princess is safe," the woman said softly.

"Who…?" Solar Pilot was only able to get that one word out before the enveloping darkness of unconsciousness slowly overtook him, and he blacked out.

sssss

When Robert woke up, it was in a well let room surrounded by curtains. Amy was sitting next to him, reading a book. Robert's memory came back to him and he sat up suddenly, fearful that she had seen him in uniform.

But he was merely in a hospital bed, in nothing more than a white patient's robe. His head and his ribs protested at the sudden movement and he winced. Amy had looked up from her book when he bolted upright and now she gently guided him back down to the pillow.

"You shouldn't move around, Rob," Amy chided him. "Your ribs are only bruised, but they need to stay still in order to heal faster. Also, you had some cuts on your body from being yanked through that broken window last night, and a nasty lump on your head."

Well that explained the headache. "What happened last night?" he asked her. It was an honest question because even he didn't know quite what went on himself. Like who was that woman?

"After I drew that Youma away from you, I ran as fast as I could down the hall and outside the building," Amy explained. "I managed to get about halfway across campus by the time it caught up to me. I tried to fight it, but it was way too strong, and I'm only Human. It would have killed me, but once again somebody saved me. This time it was a woman, and she used Earthquakes and even Vines to battle the Youma. She took me away and set me down in a tree. After that I couldn't see very clearly what happened, but at last I saw a blast similar to the one that Solar Pilot fires from his gun. So they were both there last night. They both saved me. As to who the woman was… She told me her name was Sailor Earth."

_Sailor Earth? _Robert's heart nearly jumped into his throat. _One of the members of the Trinity? Serenity's Guardians?! But how can that be? I thought they died on Earth long before Queen Serenity worked her magic with the reincarnations. Didn't they?_

Amy was looking at him funny. "This must sound a bit far-fetched even for you. You must be thinking I'm going crazy, huh?"

Robert shook his head. "Of course not. You forget I saw that creature last night too. And how else would it have been killed if not for your rescuers? No Amy, I know for certain you're telling the truth now. Just… Don't run off like that again to try and save me. I was afraid you'd die last night."

Amy blushed slightly. "It turned out alright. Still, I wish I knew more about the people who saved me."

"Well judging from their behavior they can't be all bad," Robert reassured her. "And it's kind of comforting to know that there are Sailor Senshi here in Germany as well. With monsters like that one running around in Munich… I'd say these people will need their help."

"Senshi in Munich," Amy echoed, looking out the window. _This can't be simply a coincidence. First Solar Pilot and now this Sailor Earth. This Dark Syndicate as well… Everything is focusing on me. If I'd known my coming here would create this much trouble for so many people I would have turned around and headed straight back to Tokyo. Maybe I still should…_

At least the trouble in Tokyo she'd heard about last night appeared to be over. The News was reporting that Sailor Moon had battled and subdued the woman known as Executioner. There were no pictures available of that adversary, but aerial views of the damage the fight caused made Amy sick. At this rate Tokyo would never recover.

Amy looked out the window at the rising Sun. She would have to start being more proactive to make certain Robert didn't get hurt again. She needed to start trying to track down the Dark Syndicate, starting with their ultimate goal. Amy would be targeted for termination regardless of whether she did this or not, and she would rather be attacked for taking the fight to the enemy rather than sitting back and letting more students get killed.

_Although… _she thought with a mental sigh. _I really don't know how I'm going to start._

TO BE CONTINUED...

NEXT CHAPTER: A KISS FOR CHARLOTTE


	4. chapter four

CHAPTER FOUR: A KISS FOR CHARLOTTE

Queen Lucia crushed a skull she'd been holding into dust with her bare hand upon hearing the news that another Youma had failed to kill Princess Ami.

"This girl is no more powerful than a Human so long as she does not have her Henshin Stick," Lucia stood up from her throne. "So what is the problem?!"

"It would appear Solar Pilot is not her sole guardian," said one of her servants. She was a feline looking Youma. "Elke was immune to Solar Pilot's weapon, yet last night Ami was rescued by a Sailor Senshi. Her powers pierced her diamond-hard scales and allowed Solar Pilot to finish her off as he did the others."

"Another Senshi?" Lucia shook with frustration. "Don't tell me one of her simpering friends followed her here!"

"No. Our spies tell us that the Nine are still in Tokyo," said the Youma. "This one was able to create Earthquakes and control the movements of Plants."

"Earthquakes… Plants…" Lucia repeated as she sat back down on her throne and contemplated the evidence. "It can't be who I think it is. Were you not able to get an identification?"

Her Gargoyle spy croaked from her feet, still in pain from being swatted aside by its Queen. Lucia listened to it at length and then closed her eyes. "Enough! If you don't know, just say so. Don't waste my time with long monologues. Charlotte! You are one of my more clever Youmas. I want you to draw this Senshi out once more and identify her. Assassinate Ami, Solar Pilot, AND this Senshi!"

The Cat-Youma bowed before the Queen. "It shall be done, your majesty."

ssssss

Amy closed the cover on yet another book and set it aside. She leaned back in her chair and gazed at the ceiling of the Library in exhaustion. She'd picked apart the entire 'Mythology' section at the University Library, looking for some ancient legend that at least hinted at the possibility of the existence of a great 'Demoness', as the enemy described it, lying beneath Munich, Germany.

Of course, none of the European Myths she'd paged through seemed to contain the information she needed. None of her keyword searches on the Internet seemed to satisfy her curiosity either. So after nearly six hours and two missed classes of searching Amy was left with nothing to show for it.

Everything surrounding the Dark Syndicate and what little I know of it, based on heresay of course which is far from solid, seems to be forgotten in the annals of History… Just like the Moon Kingdom… Amy thought morosely. _This search is getting me nowhere._

"Why don't you simply ask this 'Solar Pilot' character?" Robert suggested, leaning back in his chair across from her.

"Because I don't know Solar Pilot," Amy replied. "I don't know where he comes from. I don't know where he goes when he's not fighting evil. I don't even really know exactly what he looks like."

"Maybe he's not so far away as you think," suggested Robert.

Amy lifted her head and looked at him funny. "What do you mean by that?"

Robert was fiddling with a pencil in his hand. "Well… If he's like a Superhero from the Comic Books. Then he's gotta have an alter ego, right? Maybe he's somebody in this city, walking around like an average Joe. Maybe he's a student on campus. He could even be me."

Amy couldn't contain herself and she burst out laughing. "You?… That's funny, Rob… You wish…"

Robert sighed and looked away. "Well you don't have to laugh so loudly about it," he grumbled. "I'm just saying, maybe you're going about this all wrong. Maybe you need to track him down, whoever he is. Get him to come to you somehow. If he is your knight in shining armor and all, he's probably nearby watching you in some other disguise even now."

Amy stopped laughing and wiped a tear from her eye. "You do have a point, there. I'm sorry. I haven't laughed that hard in a while and I think I was just letting off more tension than I care to admit just then."

"Heh…" Robert stood up. "Well it's good that I cheered you up then." Deep down inside, though, he felt slightly injured from her mirth. _What else am I apparently good for besides a good laugh?_ he thought. _If you knew that I was really telling the truth I bet you wouldn't laugh._

Amy was gathering books up in her arms. "Well I'm hungry, and I have some class notes to catch up on. Thanks for taking the time to help me out, even though I didn't ask you to."

Robert blushed. "I-it's alright, Amy," he started stacking books on his side of the table on top of one another. "What's a class or two for a friend? Besides… We can catch up on our studies this coming weekend."

I can't tell you just yet who I am, Amy, he said in his mind. _Until you open up to me, I can't lay my cards on the table. I swore that when I saw you again I would try to get you to appreciate me as a man before you appreciate me as a hero. I know who you are, but it wouldn't be fair of me to come out and reveal all that to you before you decide to show yourself to me. So even though it hurts to keep secrets, I'm going to just be Robert Prower for a little bit longer._

He was reaching for a book to his right when suddenly his hand clamped down on someone else's. The hand was small and very feminine and smooth. Robert recoiled his hand faster than a gunshot and put his arm behind his head in embarrassment. "Oops! S-sorry Amy! I didn't know you were on my side of the table all of a sudden!" he exclaimed, gazing at the carpet abashedly.

"I am not your friend Amy, but I accept your apology, Monsieur Prower," said the person whom he'd touched. Her accent was French, even though her language was German. Robert's heart was already plunging into his stomach before he looked up, but when he saw who it was he'd grabbed, his whole body turned to stone!

Amy gasped and dropped her books. "Diana Marceaux!" she said in surprise. "I didn't hear you come in. You startled me."

"Bonjour, Amy," Diana inclined her head with a smile. "I'm glad to see you again so soon. What a coincidence, non?" She looked at Robert and her smile took on a decidedly different tone. "And Robert. It is good to see you again as well. I have not spoken to you in such a while, I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me once more."

Robert eeped and slowly came out of his paralysis. "D-D-Diana… F-fancy m-meeting you here, of all places! Ahhhhhh…. Just what is it that you are doing here, anyway?"

"I study part time when my job allows me to," Diana replied. "I am working on my Masters in Botany."

"You know her, Rob?" Amy asked from across the table.

Robert eeped again and cringed his head down. "Sh-she's just an acquaintance of mine, really!" He spun around and waved his hand up and down in a 'no-big-deal' gesture.

Diana giggled and put her hands on his shoulders. "But, Robert… That's not what you said last time we talked." she cooed.

"WELL! GOTTA GO!!" Robert said a bit too loudly. "LET'S GO AMY! YOU WERE HUNGRY, RIGHT?!" He turned as if to slip past Diana, but ended up tripping and hitting the ground on his face. His stack of books teetered on the edge of the table and then collapsed on top of him with a series of thuds.

Diana chuckled and turned to Amy with a sigh. "He's always such a joker, that man," she said coyly. "He always knows how to make a woman laugh. That's what I adore about him so."

Amy chuckled half-heartedly. _How do these two know each other? I had no idea. Rob never said anything to me,_ she thought. She didn't know why, but she felt a little bit dismayed that Diana and Robert were so familiar with one another. Diana really was an attractive girl, and she knew that boys around here simply melted for French girls. "So… How do you know each other?" she asked Diana.

Diana sighed again and clasped her hands together. Her green eyes became rather dreamy and distant. "We met just a month ago. When I first came here. He helped me get acquainted with the campus back then. He was such a sweet and kind gentleman. We spoke often after that, but lately he hasn't been speaking with me much anymore." She bent over and peered down at Robert sadly. "Was it something I said to you, Monsieur Prower?"

Robert REALLY eeped this time, because from his vantage point down on the floor, as Diana bent over him with her loose dress he got a FULL view of her breasts! He felt a trickle of blood seep out of his nose and he darted to his feet. "Really, Diana! You must stop joking around like that!" He pointed to Diana for Amy. "And she says I'm a kidder!" he laughed nervously.

Amy, however, only smiled icily. "So it would seem," she said to him with a frosty tone. "Are you always so nice around new girls in this school? From your usual behavior I never would have pegged you for a playboy."

Diana laughed and threw her arms around him tightly. "Oh, but that's just what girls like about him," she said gleefully. "He's so clumsy and innocent he's adorable, don't you think?"

Amy smiled all of a sudden. Smiled a little TOO brightly, Robert thought. There was something about her expression that seemed forced by sheer willpower. "Well then… I have some stuff I need to do. Why don't you take Diana out to eat or something, Rob? I'm sure you two have so much to catch up on." Amy picked up her book bag and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Robert dislodged Diana's vise-like arms and ran after her. "Just wait, Amy! I can explain!"

"You don't need to explain anything to me, silly," Amy said a bit too cheerfully. "It's not like I care who you go out with after all."

"But this is critical!" Robert protested.

"I told you I don't care," Amy said, picking up her pace a bit.

"Just listen to me, will you?!" Robert begged, reaching out for her.

Amy stepped beyond his reach, causing him to fall over at her feet. She beamed down at him. "Listen, you two sound like you need time to patch things up, so take her up on dinner or something. It's not like it's the first time in my life I've eaten dinner alone. I don't care, really."

"But, Amy…" Robert lifted his head up.

"Really… I DON'T CARE, Rob!" Amy's blue eyes stabbed icicles down at him and pinned him to the floor like a butterfly to a pinning board. Robert was perfectly paralyzed by the coldness. "You can knock on my door later. It's not like I'm jealous or anything."

Amy spun on her heel and walked out the door with Robert still sprawled on the floor in terror. People in the Library, attracted by the commotion, looked pitifully down at Robert as he lay on the floor. Some simply rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

"Wasn't that so gracious of her, Robert?" Diana walked over to him cheerfully. "She's so kind and gentle. Just like a Princess, don't you think?"

Robert, however, simply stared at the door of the Library with tears running down his cheeks. "So… cold…" he whimpered.

ssssss

Amy didn't know why she felt so angry over the incident in the Library. It wasn't as if she and Robert were an item or anything. They were simply friends, that was it. What did she care if Rob had a girl on the side?

It's because he didn't tell me about her, that's it! Amy decided. _If I had any idea he was friends with Diana I would have gone and asked him to introduce me to her a long time ago and then maybe I wouldn't have wasted so much time looking for her._

_"You have the means to solve this mystery Amy Mizuno. And know that you are not alone. Someone very close to you watches over you and will never let you come to harm. And others… Are on their way to you even as we speak."_

Amy stopped, remembering suddenly that she had wanted to talk to Diana about her words to her the other day. The last thing Diana had said to her two days ago was very cryptic and rather accurate to her plight. It definitely didn't sound like something someone would say if they knew nothing about her.

"I'll bet she knows something," Amy decided. "I'll bet there's more to her than meets the eye. I mean, she got here at the same time I did. Does that mean she's following me? Was it really a coincidence she was in the Library at the same time as me and Rob?" She turned as if to head back to the Library, then she stopped.

Once again that feeling of ambivalence surfaced. The picture of Diana hugging Robert and making him so flustered nagged at her. She suddenly didn't want to talk to either of them!

Oh… I'm getting mad again! Amy realized, clenching her fists. _But why?! What do I care if he's dating someone? I'll tell him off later for not telling me about Diana. I know I don't tell him a lot of things, but that's necessary. Keeping Diana a secret was unnecessary for him to do. Yes… That's why I'm angry at him. For not being totally honest with me with something so trivial._

Amy turned once more and stalked off. "I'll just eat by myself," she said stoically. "I've done it lots of times in my life. Besides, I need to study. I missed two classes today and I can't afford to fall any further behind."

Having convinced herself of that, she added. "I'll simply corner Diana some other time when we're alone and ask her exactly what she meant the other day." Amy was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice that her weird angry behavior and the act of talking aloud to herself was drawing some worried attention from students nearby.

ssssss

"Ah, what a day. I haven't had that much fun in years," Diana said, entering her Greenhouse.

"Diana…" Robert said in a deadly voice as he followed her inside and slammed the door. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you!"

"Because you love me so much," Diana batted her eyelids at him.

Robert fell over in exasperation. "RRRRT!!! Wrong again, Diana!" he exclaimed.

Diana giggled and leaned against one of her trees. "You never could take a joke very well, Robert."

"Maybe it's because I'm the BUTT of said jokes," Robert griped. "You certainly play the innocent act quite nicely. I didn't even think about it when you first came around here. I thought you were someone quite ordinary. But when I heard your voice last night and again in the Library I knew it was too much to be a coincidence! That's a good disguise, but the jig is up Princess Diana Chiba!"

Diana laughed again. "Oh, Robert. It wasn't like I was hiding from you. You just didn't need to know just yet. Besides, I knew eventually you'd catch on to me. Why so irritable? You haven't changed one bit. Not in a thousand years. I realize how much Amy means to you, that's why I did what I did."

"Did? You only sabotaged what little progress I'd made with her!" Robert lost his patience. "She probably hates my guts now! She thinks I'm some playboy who likes dating older women! She…!"

"Was jealous, non?" Diana finished for him.

Robert froze in mid-sentence. "E-excuse me?"

"In all your years of watching Amy, has she ever been one to give the cold shoulder to anyone?" Diana suggested. "Yet back there at the Library, she gave the best cold shoulder I have ever seen. Even your Sister would be put to shame by her performance. She was jealous of us."

"J-jealous?! Y-you really think s-so?!" Robert blushed. He suddenly paused. "Wait a second... How did you know I was watching her? And just where in tarnation have you been all these years?!"

"Kinmoku," Diana said, picking up a pair of trimmers and walking over to a nearby bush. She put a finger to her chin as if pondering what to do next. "Alora, Andrea, and I had no place to go after the Moon fell. So Sailor Pluto did us a favor by giving us to Sailor Galaxia. Galaxia took us in and we repaid her kindness by working for her for the last millennium or so. We just got released."

Robert sighed. "I thought you were dead. The three of you disappeared when you went to confront Jedite." he thought of something just then. "So you got back to Earth just last month when you showed up in your Diana form. Now that I look at you I realize not much has changed from back then. You still like to walk barefoot. Your hair is the same too."

Diana inclined her head. "You see? You're not dumb. Simply awkward."

"What about the other two? You said they came back as well?" asked Rob.

"They're elsewhere for now. Taking much needed vacations and exploring pieces of their own pasts. I'm certain they'll be along before the end," Diana reached out with the clippers and carefully pruned a twig that was sticking out just a bit too far. "There..." she said with satisfaction. "You look perfectly beautiful now, you darling Momo Plant."

"Momo... Isn't that native to Kinmoku?" asked Robert.

"Most of these plants are not of this world," said Diana. "I still like to collect exotic plants. I even have one that used to reside on Venus before it became a wasteland. He's quite old but he's got quite a bit of life left in him."

Robert looked at the ground. His head was spinning. "Somehow I regret not knowing all this sooner," he muttered.

"It's alright. I didn't want you to think I was interfering. And besides, I wanted to see how you interacted with Amy. You're a very frustrating man to watch, you know? I finally got tired of it and decided to throw myself into the mix. The results were... how should I say... excellent if I do say so myself."

"I wouldn't say they were so 'excellent'," Rob grumbled, getting back on the topic of his anger. "You said so yourself she had a cold shoulder. She'll never talk to me the same way again."

Diana chuckled coyly. "You forget the golden rule of love, Monami," she said. "When chased, one runs. And when one runs, the other cannot help but give chase. Don't you see? By inserting myself in as a romantic interest… I have succeeded in pushing Amy down the road of romance. She might not admit it to herself, but she is jealous of us."

Robert couldn't believe it. "Sh-she… Was really jealous?… But that would mean…"

"She wants you, Robert," said Diana.

Robert felt his heart glow with the thought. Amy? In love with him? It was almost too good to believe! For as long as he'd watched over Amy she never even seemed to notice him. Of course that was because he never really got up the courage to talk to her. Ever since that incident with her Mother…

Diana sensed the change in him. "Don't think about that now. Every time you do you lose your courage and withdraw from her. Like Amy, you are easily discouraged by romance and the obstacles that naturally go along with that. But how much longer can the two of you go on punishing yourselves?"

Robert sighed. "You don't know anything. This is the hardest thing I've ever done. Can I protect her and love her at the same time?"

"Why not? I seem to remember a certain Prince of Earth who managed to love and protect a Princess of the Moon with no trouble at all," said Diana.

"I'd figured of all people you would run to meet him again after being away for a thousand years," said Robert. "I mean he's your only family."

"I'll get to him eventually," said Diana. "There's plenty of time. But there's an emergency growing here in Munich. The enemy is growing stronger with each passing day, and Amy now needs both of us to watch over her."

Robert nodded. "You're right about one thing. And now that Amy is here they do seem to have stepped up their plans more than a little. It's all happening again, just like on Mercury a thousand years ago… Except this time it's on Earth."

"But this time we are prepared for Queen Lucia's treachery," Diana put a hand on his shoulder. "Amy Mizuno needs only to realize her true power and the tide will turn."

"Do you think it's time we were honest with her?" asked Robert.

Diana shook her head and leaned in a bit closer to him. "She is so happy with her personal life at the moment, despite all the problems around her. Let us give her a little longer with her innocence. No matter what happens, she came here to get away from being a Senshi. She deserves a chance to make that happen, though I doubt she will get her wish ultimately."

Robert became heavy-hearted again. "It's too bad, really. She did seem to be happier as a normal person. Destiny can throw some hard curves at you."

Diana put a hand on his chin and directed his face toward hers. "I know you won't fail again. You are her Prince, after all."

"Right…" Robert suddenly grabbed her hand and a crosshair formation of veins poked out of his forehead. "So why do you continue to come onto me like this?!"

Diana giggled again and escaped his glare. "Because I never stop getting amusement from your boyish innocence… And because I am myself just a little bit jealous of what you and she have. But don't worry. I am on your side. In the end the decision is yours."

Diana hummed to herself as she picked up her pot and began watering her plants. Robert watched her busy herself with a giant sweat-drop hanging from his head. "How come life can never, ever, be simple for me?" he groaned.

ssssss

The next morning Amy woke up with a headache. It wasn't often that she wanted to willfully miss her alarm clock, but today was one of those rare days.

Nevertheless she forced herself to get up out of bed and shut her alarm off. She had to get to class before eight o' clock for her Human Anatomy course. Human Anatomy was one of her most critical courses for her Major. She'd missed enough classes to last a Semester already due to her extraneous problems.

There was another reason she wanted to get to this class, however. This was the only class she shared with Robert. He was studying to be an Aviator, so this class was nothing more than an elective for him. But she hadn't spoken to Rob since last afternoon and she felt like she'd acted somewhat immature in front of him and Diana.

_I told him I was used to eating alone, but I ate alone last night and I felt terrible, she thought as she took her morning shower. Just because I'm used to it doesn't mean I should like it. I don't really care about him and Diana or what they may have together. It just caught me off guard that's all._

Amy finished her shower in fifteen minutes. After that it took her another half hour to brush her teeth, comb her hair, get dressed and eat a quick piece of fruit from her fridge to hold her over until Breakfast. It was seven forty-five. She had fifteen minutes to walk to her class. There was no rush though. She'd gotten the timing down perfectly and it took her only ten minutes to walk to the Lecture Hall.

Amy entered the classroom and took her usual seat near the front row. She looked around for Rob and found him sitting down toward the right side. He didn't see her just yet, but he looked gloomy. Amy felt bad for him and made as if to go and talk with him, but then a pang of guilt hit her in the stomach and her resolve melted away.

Robert looked up just then and saw her. He smiled and waved to her. Amy felt embarrassed and took a seat in the middle of the row. Rob's face fell a little and he faced forward again with that glum look.

_What's wrong with me?_ she wondered as she took her books out of her bag and laid them neatly out on her desk. _Why can't I go and talk to him?_ The Professor was walking into the classroom so it was too late now. She'd have to screw up her courage and talk to him once class was over.

Suddenly a movement caught her eye and she looked over to see a dark-haired, slender and disturbingly attractive girl take a seat right next to Rob and begin talking to him. Rob greeted her with a smile. She couldn't hear what they were saying because of the talking in the rest of the classroom. Suddenly the Professor signaled for quiet by clapping his hands sharply together. All talking ceased, including the girl and Rob.

All through the lecture, Amy's gaze kept sneaking to the side to keep an eye on the two of them. _I wonder who she is?_ she thought. _And how does she know Rob? How many other girls has he not told me about?_

Much to her embarrassment, the girl suddenly turned her head and looked directly at her. Amy's face burst into flames and she looked down at her paper. It was five minutes before she dared to sneak another look over and the girl was STILL looking her way. This time, however, her mouth curved into a smug little smile. Amy did not like the nature of that smile!

ssssss

After the class was over, Amy gravitated towards the back door where Rob and that girl were still talking. She stayed inconspicuous until the girl left. Once Amy felt it was safe she approached him.

"Amy," said Robert when she walked up to him. "I tried calling last night…"

"I didn't get home until late," said Amy, averting her eyes. "Who was that?"

"That?" Rob's cheeks became touched with a bit of redness. "Her name is Charlotte. She was asking me for help on the Lab that's due at Midterm."

"Is that all?" asked Amy.

Robert faltered a bit. "Amy… About last night. I was telling the truth. Diana and I… It's really nothing. We're only friends."

"How come you never said anything about her?" asked Amy.

"Honestly, I didn't think it was important," said Robert. "You believe me, don't you?"

"You seem awfully popular with pretty girls lately," Amy said doubtfully. "How long have you known Charlotte?"

"She's been in our class the entire Semester, Amy. Did you really not notice?" asked Robert incredulously. "Trust me, I'm no playboy. It's hard for me to talk to girls. You know I almost didn't approach you at first. Girls intimidate me, honest. Didn't you see how awkward I was around Diana?"

Amy couldn't help smiling at that. That sounded more like Rob. How could she have ever thought he was a playboy? She felt stupid now.

"I've treated you poorly these past 24 hours," said Amy. "Let me treat you to coffee. I want to make this up to you."

"Don't worry about it," Rob waved her off.

"No, really. I feel bad about this. Let me do something for you," Amy insisted.

Robert sighed. This girl wouldn't give up. She was amazingly stubborn for someone so introverted most of the time. "Well alright," he said, thinking for a second. "How about a kiss?"

"A-A what?!" Amy turned fire-engine red!

"Just kidding," Rob said quickly. "Heh, heh… You should see your face, Ames. That was priceless."

Amy was shocked at first, then she slowly settled upon a frown as her choice of expressions. "That wasn't funny! You're mean!"

Rob couldn't help laughing. "Well you said you'd do anything."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Did I? Or was that just wishful thinking? You know what? Forget it. I made up for it just now by falling for that awful joke." Amy stalked off through the door.

"Oh, come on!" Rob chuckled, trying to keep up. "You're not really mad, are you? It was a harmless joke, that's all. Why are you taking it so personally? Did you actually think I was serious?"

Amy stopped in her tracks. "Of course not…" she said darkly. "You'd rather kiss Diana or Charlotte, wouldn't you?"

Rob urked and halted. "OF COURSE I DON'T!" he whirled on her. He took a deep breath and put hands on each of her shoulders. "What's really wrong with you, Amy? You never act like this."

Amy leaned her head on his chest. "It's just that… Lately ever since I've been getting attacked… I feel so isolated here in this country. I had so many friends in Tokyo and they're all far away and they can't help me anymore. You're all I've got here and I don't want you to get… bored with me…"

Her shoulders began to shake and Robert pulled her into a hug. "I can't believe you'd actually be afraid of that," he said to her gently. "It's funny but until I met you girls didn't really bother to talk to me. You're the first one to take a liking to me. And I enjoy being around you. You brighten my day when I see you. And you help me with my Anatomy homework, which is a plus."

Her eyes were a little misty when she looked up at him. "Thanks, Rob. I think I needed to hear that."

"No charge," said Robert with a grin. "Now how about that coffee? Except I'm buying. Call it payback for that joke back there."

Amy agreed.

ssssss

Another unsuspecting boy dropped to the ground at Charlotte's feet. The last of his Spirit Energy entered her mouth and she smiled. "Get up," she commanded him.

The boy once named Gunther opened his eyes. Like a Zombie he lurched to his feet and growled. His eyes were red and sharp teeth now adorned his mouth. Charlotte smiled and held up a photograph of Amy Mizuno.

"Find this girl, and kill her. I'll take care of her little friend," she chuckled.

Gunther looked at the photo, snarled, and then ran off. Charlotte put the photo in her pocket and went off to find some other victims. Who else did this girl used to know? She began flipping through the real Charlotte's address book to find the next name.

ssssss

Amy went separate ways with Rob feeling much better than this morning. After he had treated her to coffee, he had another class of his own to go to, so she let him go where he needed to go.

That left Amy to her own devices, and it was time to answer some questions. She had been wanting to go see Diana again. Last night's incident made her briefly unwilling to approach the French Gardener, but now that she felt better she knew it was time. She had suspicions about Diana. Suspicions that connected her with the mysterious Sailor Earth.

_If I'm right, Diana is Sailor Earth,_ thought Amy. _I must find out for certain._

Amy found the Greenhouse and knocked on the door a few times. After several minutes no one answered. Amy tested the doorknob and found that it was unlocked. Feeling a bit unwelcome, Amy shrugged off her unease and stepped inside. She had to take several gulps of air to get used to the humidity level!

"Diana?" she called out after getting used to the atmosphere. "Diana? Are you here?"

There was no answer. Amy walked around the inside of the Greenhouse to look for her. Along the way she admired the plants and flora that seemed to grow wild and uninhibited in here. She was no Botanist, but Amy was fairly certain she'd never seen many of the plants in here, not even in books. _It's almost like they're from another world,_ she wondered.

On the east side of the Greenhouse sat a large plant that gave Amy the creeps. It had spiked leaves and a broad stem that was as thick as a lamp pole. It supported a giant elliptical head that had sharp bristles around the edges of what appeared to be… a mouth? Amy took a step back and saw that it was a gigantic Venus Flytrap! Or something just like it. Its vines snaked all over the glass panes and on the ground around it. It made a regular noise that sounded almost like inhaling and exhaling. Amy wondered if it was asleep, but didn't want to push her luck. She backpedaled away from the Flytrap until she was sure it was safe to run, then she darted out of the Greenhouse.

Outside she heaved a sigh of relief. Her heart was pounding. What exactly was that thing? Something like that had never existed on Earth, that was for sure. There could be no doubt Diana was not normal! In any case Diana wasn't at home. Where would she be? Should she look around the Gardens for her? Did she dare look for her?

It felt cold outside now. It was September, and the air was definitely beginning to cool, particularly at night. After being in that Greenhouse Amy would probably have felt cold in the Amazon. The air inside had been unusually thick and moist as well as hot. She hadn't noticed the first time, but it was definitely more than the usual Greenhouse humidity. She thought of a quote from "Alice in Wonderland" just then: Curiouser and Curiouser.

She started to walk around the side of the adjoining Botany Building when she spotted a couple of boys walking her way. They walked stiffly, backs perfectly straight, hands tightly at their sides. They looked like tin soldiers the way they walked. They were even in step. It was kind of creepy, yet funny at the same time.

The boys walked straight to her, which was rather surprising.

"Amy Mizuno?" one of them asked.

"Yes," Amy answered dubiously.

Suddenly their mannerism changed. They both snarled and reached out for her. Amy suddenly noticed their eyes had turned red and their mouths were filled with sharp fangs! Amy realized they looked just like the boys Heidi had turned into her servants!

The first boy grabbed her by the arm, his claws dug into her bicep. Amy screamed, took her book bag off her free shoulder, and swung it like a wrecking ball, slamming it into the poor kid's face! The heavy textbooks and the force of her swing caused the boy to let go as his head jerked to the side. The impact broke his nose. She could hear the loud crack and see the blood trickling out between his eyes.

The second boy grabbed her book bag, yanked it out of her grip and tossed it away. Amy turned and saw the building wall was blocking her retreat. Oh, crap! Desperate, she charged the wall full speed, planted one foot on the brick surface, and used momentum to somersault off of it, attempting to flip over the boy's head.

No dice! The boy grabbed her waist in midair, pivoted, and slammed her on the ground. Fortunately the ground was grass and all it did was knock the wind out of her. However the first boy had recovered and now they both stood over her looking ready to finish her off!

One of them held his hand up and his fingernails lengthened into claws. Amy tried to escape, but one of them held her down while the other one got ready to kill her!

He almost succeeded, but a swarm of vines snaked out of nowhere and grasped him by the waist and dragged him off. The boy roared in surprise and struggled, but more vines came out of the ground and wrapped him up in a virtual cocoon. The second boy was distracted by the diversion and Amy saw her chance. She reached with her right arm for a rock, grabbed it in her hand, and cracked it right into the second boy's face. Another sickening crunch followed that move.

She was suddenly free! Amy got up and sprinted as fast as she could. As she passed the boy struggling in the tangle of vines she wondered if that was Sailor Earth stepping in again. However there was no sign of her anywhere. What had saved her then?

There was no time to think. One of the boys was hot on her heels, snarling in rage. His face bled from the forehead and nose, but he didn't seem to be in very much pain. Amy remembered she'd kicked Josef in the balls, but Josef hadn't reacted when he was under mind control. It was like they had no nerves. Or rather, no affliction to pain.

A side effect of having your Spirit removed? Amy thought as she ran as fast as she could. She didn't know where to run to exactly. Robert was in class, not that she wanted to put him through any trouble. Diana was nowhere to be found. And it just occurred to her that these were only underlings. Where was the Youma responsible for transforming those boys? There was no one to help her. Once again Amy felt the loneliness and helplessness of not being a Senshi underneath her fear.

Was it wrong of me to give it up? She thought, passing a group of students who stopped and stared at her oddly, then recoiled as the snarling boy charged by. Is this fate? Can I never escape my Senshi destiny? Mother! Tell me what I should do!

Her forehead began to throb just then. Amy was running out of breath and growing more and more desperate. This running was getting her nowhere! She suddenly stopped and turned, ready for the worst. Senshi or not. It was time to stop running.

The boy plowed into her and tackled her to the ground. He pinned her body down with his legs and body and raised his fist as if to pound her face. He looked angry. His face was covered in blood at this point.

Amy's forehead exploded and felt like it was on fire! It wasn't burning fire. It felt almost… freezing actually. It was burning and it was freezing. She became aware of a bluish white light in her vision as desperation took hold of her. She held her hand up in front of the boy's face without thinking, palm and fingers spread wide open, and screamed. There was a sound like a wave crashing on rocks, and suddenly the boy howled as he was tossed off of her by some force. Amy felt something like water spray onto her face.

Amy opened her eyes. She hadn't even realized she'd closed them, and saw the results of what happened. The possessed young man was now laying in a sitting position against a metal light pole. The pole was warped and teetering from the force of impact. The boy was soaking wet and so was the ground around him. There were some chunks of what looked like ice laying around as well. The boy's body shivered involuntarily.

She sat up suddenly. There was no source of water anywhere nearby. She looked down at her hand in shock. Was that her doing? Had the water come from her? How? She wasn't transformed. She wasn't even a Senshi anymore. How?!

Her forehead stopped throbbing and she put her fingers to it. Nothing but smooth skin greeted her touch. She realized the hand she'd held out to the boy was now ice cold and she gripped it with her other hand to warm it up again. No! It couldn't be!

Amy stood up on wobbly legs. The poor boy was out of commission, just like his friend back near the Greenhouse. First the vines and now water from out of nowhere. Was someone just playing with her?

Things had happened too fast for her. Amy suddenly ran towards the Hoehofer Building where Robert was currently in his Avionics class. She didn't care. For some reason she felt like she had to get to him as fast as possible!

TO BE CONTINUED...

NEXT CHAPTER: THE SOUL OF SOLAR PILOT


	5. chapter five

CHAPTER FIVE: THE SOUL OF SOLAR PILOT.

Robert was almost at the door to his Modern Avionics class when he saw Charlotte standing there with her books in her arms, leaning against the wall. She appeared to be looking for someone. Rob gulped. After what happened that morning in Anatomy he couldn't help but think of her.

sssss

"Hello, Robert," Charlotte had greeted him, standing next to him. Her sudden appearance caught him by surprise because he was still hung up over Amy.

"Uh, hello," Rob said. "Charlotte is it? Can I help you?"

"Is no one sitting next to you?" Charlotte asked politely, indicating the empty desk beside him with his books on it. Robert normally used the empty desk as extra space to place his things.

"No, I guess not…" Robert admitted, looking once more over at Amy, who was avoiding his looks still. He moved his books off and allowed Charlotte to sit next to him. Charlotte was quite a lovely girl. Long brown hair and matching brown eyes. Smooth skin, just the right complexion. Her legs were long and shapely underneath her skirt. And her chest… Well, as a man he couldn't resist taking a look there either. He tore his eyes away before Charlotte caught him ogling.

She must have realized it, however, because she giggled under her breath and Rob couldn't help but go red. He looked past her and noticed Amy was looking directly at him now. Her blue eyes were full of questions and Rob suddenly felt really guilty. After last night with Diana what must this have looked like to her? He sighed.

The rest of class had passed very uncomfortably for him. Charlotte kept asking him questions. Not all of them were on the subject matter either. Occasionally she poked in a question or two about his personal life. Like what was his sign? Did he have a girlfriend? What Dorm did he live in? You know… The kinds of questions a blatantly interested woman asks an unsuspecting man.

At last came the end of class. And Robert tried to make his escape from both Amy and Charlotte. He couldn't deny how pretty Charlotte was, but he had only one interest. How could he tell her that? He realized the only thing he had the courage to do was to avoid the issue altogether. So, ashamedly, feeling like a thief in the night, he tried to slip out the door…

… Where Charlotte was miraculously waiting for him!!!

Robert stopped short, whipped around to look at the place where he thought she was standing, then turned and blinked at her in confusion. _How in God's name did she move that fast?!_

"Robert," said Charlotte, walking up to him. Her proximity to him was very close. Near enough to smell her perfume, which tickled his nose and sent all the right vibes directly down his spine and into his groin. She made an unusual sound beneath her breathing that sounded not so much like a growl, but gentler. Like a Cat purring. Rob didn't have time to dwell on that oddity. "Would you like to go to a movie with me?" she asked him, interjecting into his thoughts.

"Say what?" Rob asked, not trusting his ears.

"A movie," Charlotte repeated with a sly smile. "Do you want to go with me?"

"You're not asking me on a date, are you?" asked Robert.

"Of course I am, silly," Charlotte poked at him playfully. "I want to go on a date with you, you stud. Of course… It doesn't have to be a movie."

Her odd rumble seemed to grow more pronounced. Rob gulped and noticed Amy standing not far away. He tried to conceal his awkwardness. _Be cool!_ He urged himself mentally. "Uh, sorry… Charlotte. I-I'm… I have prior plans. I was actually going to take another girl out… S-sorry to disappoint you. I'm sure you could have any other guy if you wanted."

Charlotte cast a quick look over her shoulder in Amy's direction and Rob felt like he'd given her away. For some reason he didn't want this to devolve into a Cat Fight. Suddenly Charlotte beamed at him. That smile gave him more chills than Amy's smile had last night. "Don't worry," she said brightly. "I'm sorry to waste your time then. Have fun on your date. Ciao!"

Charlotte bounded off and Robert felt a bit safer. Amy was coming his way now. _Stay cool. Don't let her know what just happened. She'll never look at me the same way again if she found out one of the prettiest girls in school just got done asking me out…_

sssss

That was then. This was now.

Robert tried to sneak by Charlotte this time, but his fear must have given him away. Rob imagined that she could smell fear. Like a predator she reached out and grabbed him. Her grip on his forearm was like an iron shackle attached to a steel ball with a chain!

"Oh! Charlotte!" he exclaimed, trying to act cool like he hadn't noticed her. Not that it wasn't exceedingly obvious he was trying to slide by unnoticed. "What a coincidence meeting you here of all places?! C-ca-can I help you?"

"I need to speak with you. It's important," Charlotte said. She sounded dead serious this time. There was no flirting in her voice. "Only you can help me. Will you come with me for a moment?"

"Oh, geez. I gotta get to this class, Charlotte," Robert protested meekly.

"Please!" Charlotte tugged him away from the open door. "If you don't help me now it will be too late!"

"Wait, Charlotte, I-- AAAIIII!!!" he was jerked nearly out of his shoes by her strength, which was surprising! She took him back outside and dragged him around an empty corner. "Charlotte! What are you…?!"

"Robert Prower! I can't stop thinking about you!" Charlotte broke his train of thought. "I need you! No one else can put out my fire! I'm burning for you!!"

"I…I… Y-you… What?" Robert couldn't reply to that. The situation was so ludicrous he just couldn't find words. His eyes involuntarily went downwards and saw that her hand was fumbling with her button-up shirt. "WHOA!!" he exclaimed, grabbing her wrist. "Slow down! This is, uh… this is… th-this may be…!"

Charlotte grabbed his free hand with her own and brought it up to her breast and mashed it into his palm. As if he'd grabbed a live wire, Robert's fingers reflexively clamped down on it! And it was HUGE!!

"Ch-Ch-Cha-Cha-Char-lotte!!" he lost all control of his tongue. "I-I… really n-need to… g-get going to class now!!"

"Let me kiss you, please!" Charlotte pressed into him.

Robert tore his hand away from her breast and tried to break free. "CHARLOTTE… FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE!!" he cried. "I CA-CAN'T!!"

Charlotte tackled him onto the ground and suddenly she was straddling him. Her smile took on a sinister spark. "Now I've got you!" she hissed. Her eyes suddenly faded to yellow and became slitted like a Cat's eyes!

Robert suddenly realized that he wasn't dealing with the real Charlotte here! Suddenly all his bashfulness fled from him and he tried to throw her off of him. "Let go of me!"

He succeeded in rolling her over, exhibiting a yowl from her much like a feline. He almost got to his feet, but a strong hand clamped his ankle and tripped him up. Rolling over, he saw Charlotte begin to change. Her hands became clawed and hairy, with rubbery pads forming on the palms! Her face lengthened into the stubby snout of a Cat, complete with fangs and whiskers! Her body tore out of her clothes as it increased in size and became covered in purple and yellow striped fur! A tigerish tail coiled from her behind!

"You could have simply made this easy, Robert Prower! Or should I say… Solar Pilot!" she hissed again.

"How did you know?!" Robert scrambled to his feet.

"There is precious little our Queen does not know, little man," said Charlotte. "When you foolishly transformed in front of Elke, the Viper, you revealed yourself. Do you think you actually escaped her? She let you run away while she reported her discovery to the Queen. It was the reason she knew to attack you in Princess Ami's room that night."

"Damn!" Rob cursed. "So now I'm your target?"

"Of course. Amy is all but helpless without you. You were our target then. You're still a prime obstacle to our goal. Therefore you are our target now. We assume that since you contain the power of both a Senshi and a Kamen that your Spirit Energy will be particularly helpful to our cause. Say goodbye to your soul, Solar Pilot!"

"I know this is probably the idea. But as Napoleon once said: 'Over my dead body'!" Robert took out his Solar Pendant. "Solar Crystal Pow--!"

A balled up fist struck him in the jaw before he could completely finish his transformation spell. He dropped his pendant and stumbled backward from the impact. Another hit and he skidded across the pavement and against the wall, throwing up a cloud of dust. His bloodline had saved that blow from being otherwise fatal, but he still felt as if a train had run over his body! Without Solar Pilot's power he was simply a normal Human with above-average strength and stamina.

Charlotte picked up his dropped talisman. "Wish you had this? I know you do. You're nothing without it."

"Give me it back you coward," Robert struggled to his feet. "And let's settle this fair and square!"

"Unlikely," Charlotte said. "I should just take this to Queen Lucia and then come back and kill you at my leisure. The Queen will most likely promote me to Greater Youma for that."

Rob gritted his teeth. There was no way he could prevent that from happening. Boy, was he screwed! What would Queen Serenity say to this if she were still alive?

Just then Amy appeared from around the corner, breathing heavily like she'd just run a long way. Her clothes looked like she'd been through some hard times herself. "Robert! What are you doing, you Monster?!"

Charlotte looked at Amy and cackled. "Well, well, well. Just in time. There's no way I'll pass up this opportunity. I'll slaughter your boyfriend, little Princess. And then I'll slay you!"

"He's not my boyfriend…" Amy shook her head.

"Ouch…" Robert said, and not from his injuries.

"… But I won't let you hurt him anymore! It's me you want! Leave him alone! He's got nothing to do with this!" Amy finished.

_Poor Amy. She has no clue. I have to get my pendant back or she's going to die if she stands her ground!_ Robert thought. He lunged at Charlotte.

"Robert, no!" Amy must have thought he was doing something foolish. She didn't know what he was just yet.

And indeed it was foolish! Charlotte deftly sidestepped and grabbed his chin in her free hand. The other hand clutched his pendant. Her face became human briefly and she laid a kiss right on his lips!

Amy gasped, not believing what she was seeing. Robert's eyes bulged in surprise, but then weakened as something terrible resulted from that kiss. A pale light emanated from the small space between mouths as Charlotte, through her kiss, began sucking his Spirit Energy into her own body!

"Oh my God! No!!" Amy rushed toward them. She didn't care what happened now. She couldn't let the enemy take Robert away and make him one of their mindless slaves! Tears unconsciously budded in her eyes as she reached for them.

Charlotte broke the kiss, dropped Robert unconscious to the ground, and grabbed Amy by the collar. "And now for you, Princess Ami!" she snarled.

Charlotte tried to bring Amy in for similar treatment, but all of a sudden an earthquake began to shake the Campus. "What?"

Amy tore her shirt free and fell to the ground at the Youma's feet. That happened just a split second before the ground opened up and more vines wrapped themselves around Charlotte, who yowled like a distressed Cat. These weren't the same vines as the ones back at the Greenhouse, yet they were familiar. Those were the vines she saw the other night when Sailor Earth appeared.

"Taste Nature's fury, you monstrosity!" Sailor Earth swooped in and blasted a shot of green energy at Charlotte. The blow shattered the vines that held her in place, but sent the Youma smashing into the marble water fountain in the nearby courtyard. Water began to spill out from cracks and fissures in the stone.

"Are you alright?" asked Earth, helping Amy to her feet.

"I'm fine! Go after her!" said Amy to the Senshi. "You're the only one strong enough to stop her! Get Robert's Spirit Energy back!"

Earth looked down at Robert and indignation sparked in her green eyes. "Oui!" she said, taking off toward the fountain where Charlotte was recovering.

Amy bent down to see if Rob was okay. For a few moments he lay unconscious, then suddenly his eyes darted open, he sat up swiftly, and had his hands wrapped around her neck. She gasped as her windpipe closed and Rob's fingers began to bear down on her neck muscles. Amy struggled to break free. She knew what was happening. His Spirit Energy had been taken and now he was just another mindless Zombie!

"No…!" she gasped. "S-stop this…" Her vision began to fill with stars. Her frantic heartbeat echoed in her temples like a kettle drum in a Canyon. She could hear it slowing… slowing…

She thought that the throbbing in her head this time was from the blood circulation getting cut off to her brain, but when desperation once again took hold of her, that same bluish white light flooded her vision and suddenly the hands loosened their grip and released her. She heard a man's voice grunt in pain. The sound seemed somehow far away as she fell to her hands and knees coughing and hacking. Air struggled back into her lungs and her throat hurt like it had never tasted oxygen before.

Amy turned and saw Robert struggle to his feet after the blast of water. He was soaked down to the bare skin and his lips were blue from cold. His lips trembled in a shiver, yet his sharp teeth and red eyes told her he was still far from normal.

Amy didn't feel the power flee from her this time. Instead the pounding in her head increased and she yelled in pain as the light suddenly flared up, blinding her vision. The Robert puppet threw his arms up to shield his own eyes.

When her vision returned to normal, Amy saw something extraordinary; There was a Henshin Pen… floating in midair… Right at eye level before her! The stick was approximately five inches long with a blue orb at the top. The symbol of Mercury was emblazoned on the orb. The stick itself was shot with silver and white swirls. Her mind went back to what she'd seen in her prophetic dream more than three weeks ago. It was the same one. The oneQueen Chastityhad told her to use!

Amy reached up and grabbed it out of midair.

Robert had hesitated as well, but now he was charging her. His claws were now longer. Every moment made him more and more a servant of darkness. Amy felt anger once again well up in her chest at the thought of the Dark Syndicate twisting her best friend like this! When she spoke… The words came to her mouth without any thought or guesswork:

"CELESTIAL… ETERNAL… POWER!"

What followed was something similar to her original transformation, only more dramatic. Her clothes dissolved in a shower of bubbles, which swirled around her and reformed into her new uniform. The main body piece came first holding tightly to her skin and forming a lightweight barrier over her waist, stomach and chest. Next came the skirt with two layers of ruffles on the edge like Sailor Moon's. The upper layer was blue, but the hem came out silver. Next came her bows. The one on her lower back flowed out like a cascade of blue ribbons, long enough to barely touch the ground, while the chest bow formed around a star-shaped Sapphire Crystal. Only the chest bow wasn't so much a bow as it was a pair of transparent blue streamers that flowed back over each shoulder and reconnected at the back of her uniform. Instead of boots, Amy was endowed with light blue sandals whose straps wound their way around her calves all the way up to her knees. Instead of elbow gloves, blue fabric wound around her forearms to form cuffs. The fabric which formed over her shoulders was wispy and transparent, also a pale blue. Instead of the familiar tiara, the symbol on her forehead remained. It was the Mercury symbol, only it was silver over a dark blue star in the center of her head just over her eyebrows. Her finger and toenails became blue just as her feet touched solid ground once again.

Amy reacted just in time to intercept Robert's outstretched claws with her hand. He swiped with the other arm, barely grazing her stomach. Amy felt lighter than air. A familiar feeling of possessing more power than a normal person should have. It was the heady feeling of being a Senshi in battle. When she jumped she almost took herself by surprise when her leap carried her over his head and onto the ground behind Robert.

Rob turned to attack again, but he was briefly open. I'm sorry, Rob. But I have to take you down before you or anyone else gets hurt because of you. Amy spun kicked him with terrifying speed. Speed that made even her stumble on her recovery, but speed that completely caught the enslaved Robert unawares. Her foot struck him squarely in the jaw and floored him. She had to be firm. She knew from personal experience that once a person was enslaved they didn't feel pain and their endurance made them formidable as well.

Rob fell to the ground and didn't move after that. Amy rolled his body over and checked his life signs quickly. He still had a heartbeat, but it was rapid and his flesh was burning hot. If he didn't get his soul back his body might give out after a while. It wasn't like the Dark Syndicate cared about their Human slaves one bit.

Amy stood and turned to run after Sailor Earth, who had pursued the Youma. The sounds of battle echoed not too far away. Students were running away from the scene. They all gave her odd looks as she passed them by. Her outfit was outlandish by Japanese standards. To Germans she must have looked perfectly strange and her cheeks became tinged with embarrassment.

It was a brief discomfort, however, when she came upon Charlotte and Sailor Earth locked in combat. Earth, who looked pretty rough around the edges with several claw marks on her uniform and skin, punched the ground underfoot and caused it to rupture open beneath Charlotte. The Feline Youma tripped and barely maintained her footing on the unsteady ground.

Earth dove in and tackled Charlotte with her shoulder, plowing her into a brick wall and buckling the masonry somewhat. Charlotte yowled in anger and put both fists together. Her hands came down on Earth's back and forced her to her knees, then she raked her claws on Sailor Earth's shoulders, causing deep scratches that drew instant blood.

It wasn't going well for Earth. Amy knew what to do now. "Hey!" she shouted to the Cat Youma.

Charlotte looked over at her and snarled. It was hard to read expressions on that feline face, but Amy thought she caught a good amount of shock. More than was necessary actually.

_She must be surprised I'm a Senshi,_ Amy thought. _Good._

"Now that I have your attention," Amy concentrated some of her energy, feeling the air turn cold around her. "Perhaps you'll be willing to compromise? Give me Robert's Spirit Energy and I'll let you get away."

Charlotte hissed at her. Earth stood up suddenly and wrapped her arms around Charlotte's neck, clamping her in a sleeper headlock. The Youma struggled and gasped for air.

"Sailor Celestia," Earth identified Amy. "Destroy her now!"

Charlotte howled, now in fear and her thrashing became more feverish.

Amy looked at Sailor Earth, suddenly unsure of what to do. She had gathered her energy for an attack, but there was a problem. She may have been a Senshi but she still wasn't Sailor Mercury. How was she supposed to know what to do? What was the name and nature of her special attack?

"Celestia! Listen to your heart! Your heart will tell you what to do!" Earth exclaimed. She tried to tighten her grip, but it was getting difficult as the fight had already taken her down from her best.

Amy shut her eyes and tried to calm her nerves. _Okay… What to say? What can I do? Help me Mother._

A vision of a Waterspout flashed briefly in her head and Amy got an idea. "Waterspout!" she said, opening her eyes again.

"You'll never take me down, amateur!" Charlotte elbowed Sailor Earth in the gut, forcing her captor to loosen her grip. The Youma broke free and began to run away. She was trying to escape!

"Vines of the Earth! Capture!" Sailor Earth held her hand outstretched and the familiar squiggling mass of vines came out of the ground and tripped the Youma by snaring her ankles. Charlotte began swiping at the foliage desperately.

"I call upon the power of Celestia," Amy began calmly with her hands folded together as if in prayer. Her hair began to flap in the rising wind and her voice arose as well. "Ancient ancestor to the power of Mercury. Grant me your watery powers. Help me destroy this abomination!" She held her arm up overhead, palm facing skyward, and saw a tiny cone of spiraling water form above the outstretched hand. "Celestial Waterspout! Unleash your fury!"

The tiny cone grew up real quick. It became a towering funnel of ice water in seconds and spun its way inevitably toward Charlotte, who screamed and tried desperately to break out of the vines that held her down. As it went along, the Waterspout tore a gouge in the ground and sucked up everything along with it. It bore down on the Youma, plucked her and the vines from sight and rose into the sky, where it imploded. In a bright flash of blue sprinkles, it dissolved along with the body of Charlotte, into thin air. A series of light orbs floated in her place and descended to the ground.

"That's their Spirit Energy," Sailor Earth stood up gingerly. "Grab them and help them return to their owners."

Amy reached out and watched the orbs settle into her hands. There were three of them. Two belonged to the boys who accosted her earlier. The third one was Robert's. She could feel his personality throbbing inside of it. Its pulsating light practically begged her to return it to his body.

Amy closed her eyes, trying to find the answer to this riddle. How was she going to do this? How would Sailor Moon have done this? She felt this was more up the Moon Senshi's alley.

"Just tell them to return to where they came from," Earth prompted her.

Amy opened her eyes and looked at the orbs awkwardly. "Um… Return… To your bodies."

The orbs came alive and took off in different directions. Amy followed the one she knew to be headed in Robert's direction at a sprint. She got there just as the light settled to a hover over his chest and sunk back in. Rob's claws and fangs and pointy ears returned to normal and the hard cruelty in his features melted into a peaceful sort of slumber. Amy felt his skin and discovered his flesh had cooled back to normal and his heartbeat was slowing down to more Human standards.

"Oh thank God!" Amy breathed, lifting his head and cradling it on her lap. "I'm so glad I made it in time! I almost lost him!"

Sailor Earth, meanwhile, found something else on the ground and picked it up. It was the Solar Pendant. Solar Pilot's transformation talisman. She saw that things had returned to normal more or less, minus the tremendous damage to the area the Waterspout had torn through, and she turned to head back to the Greenhouse. As she did so she smiled. Amy had discovered her hidden powers a lot sooner than expected. It must have been her fierce desire to save Robert Prower. It must have been love.

_I think the time has come now to let Amy know a bit more about things,_ she decided as she walked away. _Queen Lucia's dismay will be great. Her retribution will be swift. And I fear her operations will only increase in danger and tempo from here on out. The end is near._

TO BE CONTINUED.........

NEXT CHAPTER: THE FALL OF MERCURY!


End file.
